Rubies & Sapphires Book 1
by Synica
Summary: Naruto is taken in at a young age by Kakashi, and trained by the Jounin Senseis. However, Naruto's sapphire eyes have only one thing in their sights. The ruby eyes of one Yuuhi Kurenai. NarutoxKurenai. Sakura & Sasuke bashing for all. First Part Complete.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Yo! Well, my brain's reached a point where it's saturated with ideas for new fics. Namely, I've conceived the majority of a story line for a fic where Naruto goes to the world of Star Wars that actually WORKS, an introduction to a fic with a Naruto x Tayuya pairing, some vague ideas for a Naruto x Kin story line and one that will NOT stop pestering me until I get it done. What's the fic, you ask? A Naruto x Kurenai pairing. Grossed out? Don't be. I actually think if done correctly, it's the most sweet, adorable pairing possible with the current Naruto characters. Their's literally an aura of purity, I guess, that comes from a well done fic with this pairing. Unfortunately, I've narrowed the amount of these types of fics with this pairing down to two authors on Fan Fiction. I'm going to become the third and make the 'Sannin' of the NaruxKure pairing. My brain is struggling to actually get ANY work done on my two current fics. My brain is DEMANDING I get this fic done. I've told you my brain works weirdly, and this is one of the quirks. Once I get an idea of this size for something that I enjoy, such as fic writing, I will NEVER be able to get it out of my head until I put that idea onto paper. My brain refuses to come up with any ideas until this idea is firmly secured on paper. So, I'm going to be writing this Naru x Kure fic. Sorry to all those who were looking forward to my other fics, but remember something: I never leave a job I enjoy doing half done. I may leave it for a while to come back with some new ideas, but to me this is more important right now. If you desperately want to see my other two fics finished now, then I have one last option for you: Send me a PM if you think you're up to it, and I'll give you a general overview of what I was going to do with the story line and I'll let you guys write what you think could have happened. I won't be updating those chapters done by others on my fic, so I'll let you copy the fics to your account and continue them yourself, as long as you put credit for me as the original fic's writer. Still, I promise I will finish them later, however, I have a feeling this fic is going to be my masterpiece. Even more so than the Bijuu series.

**NOTE:** Based on the analysis of Naruto I've been making, as well as the similarities to my own childhood, I've confirmed that if he was actually taken care of and taught from a young age, he would be a genius on par at the very least with Sasuke, highly likely somewhere in between Sasuke and Itachi's levels of intelligence, cunning and skill. When I was 12 months old, I'd spoken my first word. By 18 months, I was forming coherent phrases of about 5 words or there abouts, so by four, I'd think Naruto could have a decent understanding of basic language skills. Naruto in the canon story never had anyone to 'teach' him. Think about everyone in Naruto's academy class that made it to the Genin teams except for Naruto. Hell, even include Team Gai. They all had at least one person who would train them at some point in time, or at all times. Let's take a random person. Iono, Shino. Shino is the heir to the Aburame clan, and his father from what I can see personally oversaw his training. Not only that, his Jounin instructor, Kurenai would help him as well, and Iruka would have taught him during the academy. Let's take a more obvious example. Sasuke. Sasuke at the early part of his life was taken care of by his clan, and also taught between his father and brother, as well as everyone willing to wait on him hand and foot for being their 'precious Uchiha'. The only person left is Naruto. I can tell that Naruto has the signs of the brilliant mind of a genius that has gone to waste because no one shaped it from a young age. If, say for example, Kakashi or Jiraiya stepped in to train him from the age of about 4, Naruto would be calling Sasuke a 'dobe', especially if Kakashi introduced him to people like Asuma, Kurenai & Gai. Think about it. If he was to receive training from them, he'd have ALL bases covered. Ninjutsu from Kakashi, Genjutsu from Kurenai, Taijutsu from Gai and Armed Taijutsu from Asuma, Konoha's experts in each respective field. Combine that with Naruto's iron will to never give up and each of them training him for 9 years as well as the academy; do you know what you get? You get a super genius that puts Sasuke to shame. That's right; this fic is going to have Naruto as a super genius. If you can't accept my flawless logic from the above argument, then don't read and don't review. Need further proof? _'Rips off his shirt and begins flexing his massive biceps against your face'_ Then here is your proof! Can you feel the proof in these muscles? _'Flex'_ Hmmm? _'Flex'_ Lol, I love Armstrong. He's so funny.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I bid you welcome to my latest and greatest creation, made with heavy influence from the two best NaruxKure authors on this site, antiassasinguy & cs-ayeka, Kudos to you two! Welcome, people, to Rubies & Sapphires.

Remember, I do not own Naruto. Never have, but I hope to in the distant future. If I did, I'd be rolling around in a mountain of cash gained from Naruto merchandise sales.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE CASTING SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter One:

Prologue:

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**12 Years Ago:**

Once, there was a giant fox with nine tails. A single flick of one of those massive tails could cleave a mountain in half and cause a tsunami. This fox was feared by mortals as the embodiment of destruction, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, king of the demons. For reasons unknown, the Kyuubi had set its sights on a hidden shinobi village that was still recovering from a war with another, the village hidden in the leaves, Konoha. The death toll was catastrophic, and it was rising with every passing second. Men and women had blood pouring down their faces, arms, legs and bodies as they tried desperately to give their one hope of survival a chance to finish what he claimed was 'the ultimate weapon'. People screamed out as they burst into flames, were cut in half or just fell to the ground lifeless. Their were shouts from the shinobi, many of which were things like

"Hold it off until the Yondaime gets here!"

At that point, there was a huge flash and a puff of smoke, and when it cleared; there was the king of frogs in all his glory with a sole figure atop his head, his white coat waving in the wind. Now, every single being on the battle field had stopped, including the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Just as the Kyuubi turned to what looked to be a half decent challenge, he was aware of an almighty presence behind the man atop the frog's head, one that even made him wary. One who should not be here. Kyuubi's eyes narrowed.

"**Shinigami..."**

A bright flash of blinding white light emanated the man atop Gamabunta's head and Kyuubi could feel it. His soul was being wrenched from his body. As the soul finally left, the husk of the Kyuubi fell to the ground lifeless. Elsewhere in Konoha, three males of different generations, one who was going bald with grey hair from old age, a slightly younger man with long white hair and red facial markings as well as a teenager who had a shock of silver hair wearing a face mask were watching as they saw a child with blonde hair who had just been born cry out in agony as an intricate seal appeared on his navel, along with three whisker like marks on each cheek. Back at the battle field, the ninjas started cheering until they saw their fable leader, the Yellow Flash of Konoha drop lifeless off Gamabunta's head, watching in horror as he slammed into the ground, Gamabunta puffing out of existence, his summoner no longer able to tie his existence to this world. Yondaime had 'killed' the king of demons at the cost of his life. Today, the 10th of October would be a day remembered for all history. The day the world's strongest man sacrificed his life for his village.

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**4 Years Later:**

It was the 10th of October; four years after Yondaime had died. Today, the majority of the village had an air of grieving hanging over it. However, at regular intervals, if one was nearby, an area of the village would erupt in severe hatred. If the observer was closer, they could see that a four year old child was the 'cause' of this rise in hatred and anger. Said boy could be seen running for his life, bleeding profusely, covered in grime and a look of pure fear plastered over his face. He still did not understand. From the limited amount of information he was able to find out, a person's birthday was supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year. His birthdays meant nothing but pain, torture, fear and generally getting thrashed within an inch of his life. Today was no different from the last three. Normally, the villagers just glared at him, restraining from any obvious signs of physical assault, however, every year on October 10th, they let go of their anger and beat him practically to death, screaming things like 'revenge!' 'Kill him now!' and the like. Luckily, the past three years, he was saved by an old man in white robes who everyone seemed to respect. This year was different. That man hadn't arrived, and Naruto would not hold out much longer. He'd been running for hours, a highly commendable feat for someone his age. Right now, the only though on his mind was:

_'This is it... I can't go on...'_

His pursuers noticed instantly when the boy stumbled and ran blindly down a side alley. The pack smiled as they saw the boy crawling up against the far wall. It was a dead end. Today, they would finally get their revenge against the 'demon'. They proceeded forward and began laying into the child, kicking, punching, and hitting him with implements. The boy was dead, and everyone knew it.

Not too far by, one of Konoha's most famous Jounin was just coming back from his mission, hoping to enjoy the festival when he sensed a massive amount of hatred nearby from a large group of people. He stopped on a roof and saw that there were people laughing manically, shouts of things like 'demon' and other rather unusual sounds. The Jounin narrowed his one visible eye when he though he picked up another sound. The sound of a child sobbing. The sound was extremely faint, but it was coming from the group. The silver haired Jounin jumped down from the roof and walked up to the crowd, raising his voice so they could all hear him.

"What exactly is going on here?"

The group stopped and turned to him smiling.

"We're finally getting our revenge on the demon! Kakashi-San, Yondaime-Sama was your Sensei, why don't you finish off what he started?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed before he realised who the child was. He quivered in barely suppressed rage as the people moved out of the way, making a path for him until he saw what he confirmed as the worst possible situation he had feared. The child was lying in a foetal position against the wall, barely clinging on to life. Kakashi noticed the shock of blonde spikes, blood pouring from extremely deep wounds and three tell tale whisker marks on each cheek. He ran to the boy, checking his vitals, seeing he was alive, if only by the skin of his teeth. He got up and released such a large amount of killing intent at the mob that the majority of them fell to their knees, bringing up the food they had consumed at the festival. Kakashi had already revealed his Sharingan and couldn't take it any more.

"What the hell do you think you pieces of trash were doing? He's a four year old HUMAN CHILD for Kami-Sama's sakes! Are you so cowardly that you, full grown men, both civilian and ninja, had to form a MOB to do this? Get out of my way now before I have Hokage-Sama execute all of you for treason of the highest order!"

The few men that were in Kakashi's way managed to crawl out of the way. Kakashi turned back and picked the child up, who prepared for the final blow from his assailant, but it never came. Naruto managed to open a blood splattered eyelid a crack to see that it was not the old man who saved him, but a man with silver hair and a mask. Kakashi felt the child stir slightly and looked at him, his visible face contort with worry.

"Naruto? If you can hear me, hang in there! I'm getting you to the hospital."

Naruto nodded ever so slightly, and closed his eyes. He didn't know who this man was, nor at the moment, did he care. He had found the second person who actually cared about him. Little did he know, soon enough, he was going to find a whole group of people who he would soon grow to care for.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**About an Hour Later:**

Kakashi had dropped Naruto off at the hospital and had to force the staff to take care of him with threats. The staff knew that Hatake Kakashi never made an empty threat, so they quickly got to work. Kakashi, in the mean time, stormed up to the Hokage's tower. He wanted to know things. And if anyone got in his way, so help them Kami, they were as good as dead. He met the ANBU at the door, who made to block him, but he glared at them.

"Get out of my way. NOW."

Unfortunately for these two, the man standing in front of them, while off duty, was still their superior officer. They stepped aside and Kakashi slammed the Hokage's office door open so forcefully that the hinges were barely holding the door up. The Hokage looked up from his desk at the fuming Kakashi. From his experience, few things made the normally cyclopean Jounin this angry. Kakashi stared at the old man.

"I think you had better explain yourself. You told me four years ago that Naruto died from the Kyuubi's influence after the sealing. Do you know what I just found? I found Naruto beaten to within an inch of his life by a mob of civilians and Ninja. Start talking old man."

The Hokage's secretary was shocked. No one had ever talked to her superior like this before. The man didn't even call him Hokage, let along Hokage-Sama. Sarutobi sighed, taking a drag of his pipe and massaging his temples. This was going to be a long day...

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**2 Weeks Later:**

Naruto had been discharged from hospital, and he started walking forlornly back to the Orphanage. He really didn't want to go back, but he had no home. As he walked out into the bright midmorning sunlight, he saw a figure leaning against a post, looking directly at him. Naruto flinched until he realised who it was. His eyes widened as the figure continued looking at him in a semi lazy expression. One he would come to adopt himself.

"Hey, aren't you that guy who saved me?"

The figure got up and walked over to Naruto, bending down to put his face level with Naruto's. Naruto was unsure about what to do. Not even the old man Hokage bent down to talk to him unless he hugged him. Naruto saw that the teen (Kakashi was 18 at this time) had covered his left eye with his hitai-ate. However, his visible right eye was crinkled in what most would associate with a warm smile. Kakashi looked at Naruto lazily.

"That's me. How are you feeling, Naruto?"

Naruto wasn't sure if this was some kind of trick or not, and he was scared of him slightly. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"It's been that bad, huh?"

Naruto looked at him questioningly.

"What's been bad?"

Kakashi looked back at him, a rather saddened look on his face as he stared at Naruto. Naruto had learnt what the majority of body language meant out of necessity. A few people had tried to be nice to him before to lure him in before they tried to make him 'disappear'. Naruto saw that this wasn't just sadness. It was a mixture of things. Sadness, pain, and most of all, regret. The man looked up at him.

"I meant that you're life's been painful, hasn't it?"

Naruto nodded slowly as Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. When Naruto flinched, he took his hand away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's ok. It's just..."

"An automatic reflex?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man. He'd never heard of these 'automatic reflex' things. He was only four, after all. Kakashi sighed deeply.

"An automatic reflex is something you do without thinking. For example, if someone threw a punch at you, you would most likely throw your hands up to block without thinking, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"That's an automatic reflex."

Naruto thought about it. It made sense. Naruto nodded again.

"Yeah it was..."

Kakashi sighed and stood up.

"So, where are you off to, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at him.

"I'm going back to the orphanage..."

Kakashi looked at the boy. He was still in the orphanage? No one had adopted him yet? Once Kakashi remembered how he found Naruto, it actually wasn't really surprising. Kakashi watched as Naruto looked at him.

"Ano, thanks for saving me mister..."

Kakashi smiled at him.

"It's Kakashi, Naruto. I'll be seeing you around, ok? If you need anything, just ask the old man."

Naruto nodded and began walking off in a daze towards the orphanage, having no idea that Kakashi was secretly trailing him. When Naruto walked up to the front door, Kakashi was shocked when he saw a group of boys slightly older than Naruto saw him and made their way over to him, starting to push him around. Kakashi frowned at this. One of the boys kneed Naruto in the stomach as Naruto fell to the ground and the boys sneered at him. Kakashi was about to go help him when a matron came out, seeing the boys covered in mud, scrapes and bruises. The matron looked at them.

"What on earth happened?"

The boys looked up at the matron, fake hurt plastered all over their faces.

"He came over and started pushing us around while we were minding our own business."

Kakashi smirked. Surely they couldn't get away with-

"I should have known he would do something like that. The 4 of you get inside and go wash yourselves. As for YOU."

She stared at Naruto.

"What do you think you're doing? The boys did nothing to you! No lunch for you! Now get inside!"

Kakashi frowned. The boys had been playing a game with a ball in the mud, and their appearance was their own fault. Naruto had done absolutely nothing to the boys, yet he was blamed as if it was an everyday occurrence? Kakashi wasn't going to tolerate this. He 'poof'ed to the Hokage's office with a personal request that he would not take 'no' for an answer to.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& **

**Next Day:**

Naruto was woken up early by a wooden cooking spoon being slammed over his head. He shot up, staring at the matron, who glared at him.

"I don't know why anyone would, but you've been adopted. Get your things and get out."

Naruto paused for a minute, trying to process the sentence.

"Adopted?"

The matron sneered.

"That's what I said. Now get moving!"

Naruto jumped out of bed, packing the few clothes he had. All of his possessions that he ever had were quickly confiscated. Once Naruto had dressed and packed his only other set of clothes, he walked past everyone to the front desk, to see who had adopted him. When he saw who it was, he was floored. It was the masked man! Naruto's mouth dropped open as Kakashi held up a hand lazily, crinkling his one visible eye in a smile.

"Yo."

Naruto's clothes dropped to the floor as Kakashi continued smiling. Naruto was in shock. Not only had he been adopted, but it was by the man that saved him. Kakashi's eyebrow raised as he saw Naruto's reaction before his visible eye once again crinkled into a smile. Naruto slowly picked up his things, begging, hoping for this to be real. Kakashi led Naruto out the door and down the streets to an apartment complex. Kakashi le Naruto into the front door and up three flights of stairs to a door. Kakashi stopped at the first door out of the stair well that had the numbers 3:01 on it. Kakashi fished a key out of his pocket with practiced ease and opened the door in one swift motion. Naruto looked around at his 'new home'. It was fairly devoid of colours for a home. The furniture was mostly washed out maroons, browns and whites. However, it still somehow retained a feeling of warmth to it. Kakashi closed the door behind him and went into the kitchen. Kakashi came back out a few minutes later to see Naruto still standing at the door, a large amount of uncertainty in his actions. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to keep standing there? This is your home too now."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi, tears forming in his eyes. Kakashi smiled as Naruto charged at him and latched onto his leg.

"Thank you, Kakashi-San!"

Kakashi just smiled at the mass of blonde hair that had found a nice place to attach itself to on his leg.

"No problem Naruto. Let's get you to your room."

Kakashi led Naruto to what appeared to be a spare bedroom. After Kakashi had insisted Naruto take a shower, they shared a small breakfast before Kakashi looked up at the clock on the wall and then back at Naruto, specifically, his clothes.

"Naruto, we really need to get you some new clothes. How about we go and get some?"

Naruto waited for a moment before nodding slowly and Kakashi smiled one of his lazy smiles that the majority of people found highly irritating, but Naruto considered very cool. Kakashi led Naruto out of the apartment, down the stairs and out into the morning sunlight. Kakashi led Naruto down the streets, acutely aware of the people glaring hatefully at Naruto, and then at Kakashi when Naruto clung to him. Kakashi stared coolly at them, almost daring them to say something or make a move against him or Naruto. Once Kakashi got to a clothing shop, he opened the door and walked in, followed close behind by Naruto. The woman behind the counter smiled at Kakashi, but then glared at Naruto, who tried to ignore her when Kakashi spoke up.

"Is there a reason you're staring at the boy I've adopted like that?"

The lady glanced at Kakashi in confusion, looked back at Naruto then, at Kakashi again, muttering something under her breath. Kakashi smiled his irritatingly lazy smile, but Naruto detected there was something else to this smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Could you repeat that please?"

The lady looked up and without thinking began to say what she had mumbled.

"I said who would adopt that filthy-"

She didn't get to finish as she found that Kakashi was no where to be seen. Naruto was staring wide eyed at a spot just over her right shoulder when she heard a sweet voice laced with copious amounts of venom.

"I agree, he is rather filthy at the moment, which is why I'm shopping for new clothes for him. However, I know you were going to add something rather unpleasant to it. Remember the rule?"

The lady nodded slowly as Kakashi smiled and reappeared at Naruto's side, motioning him out.

"I'm sure there will be other stores that will be more than happy to serve us without me having to do something similar. Naruto, let's go."

Naruto nodded dumbly and followed Kakashi to another store. When Kakashi pushed the door open, the man behind the counter smiled.

"Kakashi-San! Long time no see! What's been happening?"

Kakashi smiled lazily at the man. This is normally where Kakashi came to buy his ninja attire.

"Yo! I need some gear."

The man laughed, still not having noticed Naruto behind Kakashi.

"Well, take a look around. Looking for anything in particular?"

Kakashi 'hmm'ed as he looked at a non descript section of the ceiling, before smiling and putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm looking for some clothes for my friend here."

The man looked at Naruto and his eyes widened, but not in hate but surprise. The man stared at Kakashi.

"Kakashi is this..."

"Naruto? Yeah, it is."

Naruto looked at the man, waiting to see his reaction. The man stared at Kakashi before looking at Naruto, shaking his head.

"Man, I heard you died on the day you were born. Well, the fact you're actually alive is a shock, to say the least. Don't worry, Naruto. From what Kakashi has told me, I can tell you're not what the others make you out to be. Hell, I think you're a better person than the majority of people in this village. If you ever need clothing or anything, just come here, alright?"

Naruto was shocked. There were people who would treat him nicely, hell this guy was even treating him with... RESPECT? Kakashi smiled as the guy got out from behind the counter and rubbed his hands together.

"Well, are we looking for anything in particular?"

Kakashi 'hmm'ed again before smiling.

"Let's see what Naruto wants."

Naruto didn't get it. Why were some people being so nice to him? He was never given a choice in ANYTHING before. It was a very foreign concept to him. When Kakashi nodded, Naruto started looking through the racks of clothes. Kakashi came beside him and helped him, giving him advice on what to choose. Naruto eventually, with rather subtle persuasion, settled for a skin tight black long sleaved shirt, full length black pants and several other things, such as a ninja utility belt where he could attach all manner of items onto as well as several pairs of boxer shorts and some black ninja sandals. Kakashi insisted he get at least two pairs of everything but the sandals and belt, so Naruto reluctantly agreed. With these items purchased, they went back to the flat, where Naruto watched as Kakashi chucked his old clothes into the bin and smiled at Naruto's gob smacked expression.

"You're not wearing those anymore. They're not even clothes."

Kakashi got Naruto settled in and made lunch for the two of them.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Nearly 1 Year Later:**

Today was October 10th. Naruto's birthday. In the past year, Naruto had stopped being so shy and had taken an instant liking to Kakashi. He literally took Kakashi on as a role model, thinking Kakashi was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Naruto woke up, remembering what day it was and tried to make the world swallow him up. He may have been with Kakashi for practically a year, but he had still not had a birthday with him, so he was still slightly fearful. After about 5 minutes, Kakashi came in after knocking on the door.

"Rise and shine, Otouto."

That was another cool thing. Kakashi didn't lord it over Naruto like he'd heard several people said their fathers did to them, he treated Naruto more as a younger brother, with the best parts of what Naruto guessed were paternal instincts thrown into the mix. Kakashi noticed that Naruto had waved of fear rolling off him.

"Something wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto let out a tiny squeak and Kakashi realised what was wrong.

"Still worried that what happened the last four times will happen again?"

The fear increased, indicating that was exactly what Naruto was worried about. Kakashi smiled.

"Don't be. While you're here, no one's going to chase you except if we decide to play a game of tag."

Naruto's fear stopped and Naruto froze for a second. Kakashi was slowly training Naruto to be a ninja. Kakashi had played 'games' with Naruto that were actually designed to help him improve his senses and all around basic skills. Tag was one of them. Kakashi would always start as 'it', while Naruto would go and hide, learning quickly how to keep him hidden, as well as figuring out ways of creeping to avoid detection. These skills would prove to be absolutely invaluable when Naruto became a ninja for when he needed to use stealth to avoid detection by enemy ninjas. Kakashi was mildly surprised at the knack Naruto had for it. Naruto quickly figured out that staying in one place for the entire game was a very bad idea. He saw that Kakashi used a methodical searching pattern that would find him sooner or later. Naruto had figured out that it was best to wait until Kakashi had done a large section of the 'battlefield' first before he moved to an area Kakashi had already covered by sneaking around him when he was patrolling one of the far streets away from where he was. Another one that Kakashi played with Naruto was Shougi. After being taught the basic rules of it and getting a very raw idea about the amount of strategising that needed to be put into the game when playing a good player, which Kakashi proved to be surprisingly adept at, Naruto became a player with standard ability.

Naruto slowly took a peek out from under the sheet of his fuuton and saw that Kakashi was smiling with his hands behind his back. Naruto's danger sense told him that Kakashi had something behind his back, so he hid again, much to Kakashi's surprise, until he realised how his hands were positioned.

"Sorry, Naruto, I forgot how adept you were at ready body language at your age. I don't have a weapon in my hands. I'll leave what I have in my hands here for you."

Kakashi slowly walked forward and placed the objects on the ground and stepped back. Naruto slowly took a peek again and what he saw dumbfounded him. It was several brightly wrapped packages with a card on top. Naruto very slowly pulled the covers up a bit more and saw Kakashi smiling at him with a genuine smile.

"Happy birthday, Naruto."

Naruto stopped, his brain trying to process the words.

"Happy... Birthday?"

Kakashi looked to see Naruto was looking at him, in a desperate, pleading look that practically shattered his heart.

"Yeah, happy birthday. Forget about the past Naruto, look towards the future. People who are stuck in the past will never be able to see what is in front of them, and they will miss many golden opportunities."

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. The tears he had been holding back for 5 years came unbidden as Naruto jumped out of bed and tackled Kakashi to the ground, sobbing into his chest. Kakashi just smiled as he hugged Naruto.

"Thanks, aniki..."

"No problem Naruto..."

Naruto's tears came for another half an hour, until the heaving of Naruto's small chest finally slowed to a stop. Naruto slowly pulled himself off Kakashi and smiled sheepishly, while Kakashi's eye crinkled. Kakashi got up and pointed to the presents.

"Go on, open them."

Naruto went to the presents and looked at the card, which had 'To Naruto' scrawled on the front. Naruto opened the card to see that not just Kakashi, but several others had signed it too. Naruto looked over each of the messages. Naruto read each of the messages.

_'Naruto-Kun, your fiery passion of youth burns brightly! Use my gift to enjoy the spring time of youth to the fullest! Maito Gai._

_'So, you're 5 now, eh Naruto? From the times I've seen you; you look like you'll grow up to be a great man. If you ever need a Shougi partner or some lessons in armed hand to hand combat, come and see me. Sarutobi Asuma.'_

The next one was one he was not expecting. At least, not in the form it was.

_'Happy fifth birthday, Naruto. You're growing up fast. When you get older, make sure you don't let Kakashi turn you into a pervert, or I'll personally nail him up to a post and make him watch as I burn all of those little orange books of his. Yuuhi Kurenai._

_Happy fifth birthday, Otouto. I know how much you idolise me, so I decided to get you a special something-'_

The ink here looked kind of smudged, kind of like Kakashi had been moved forcefully while writing, as if someone had hit him over the head. Naruto continued reading.

_'Despite the fact that Kurenai thinks it's one of those little orange books, I'm actually going to give you something better. Happy birthday, Naruto.'_

Naruto looked at the card, his chest swelling in happiness. He had only met each of the others several times, but they, like Kakashi had said would be, were nice people. Naruto had taken an instant liking to Kurenai. Even though Naruto had heard that she was Konoha's 'Ice Queen', she seemed pretty normal to him. Kurenai actually thought he was rather 'cute' to use the word she had used. Naruto had to agree with Kakashi that Gai was weird, but Asuma was a cool guy. The fact that they had sent him birthday presents caused the feeling in his chest to swell to the point it hurt. Naruto reached forward to a particular present that was wrapped in green and orange _'Take a guess who's that is...'_ Naruto pulled off the paper to reveal a pair of odd objects that looked like they had layers of lite weight metal formed in ridges and two straps coming down off each one. In the bottom of the box was a pair of similar looking ones that were shaped slightly differently, but apart from that were the same. They weight about as much as a pair of full soft drink cans each. Naruto looked up to see Kakashi smirking.

"Training weights..."

Naruto nodded and put them down gently as he went for the next gift which was wrapped in black and white stripped paper. Naruto took the paper off to reveal a book, titled:

_'Shougi and You; a General Introductory Guide.'_

Naruto had seriously wanted to get a book that taught him the basics of the game. Naruto had sort of gotten the hint that Shougi was originally more than just a board game that old geezers played to pass the time. Naruto put the book down and went to open a box wrapped in scarlet red paper to see a book that he had not expected to get.

_'Ninjas for Dummies; A Crash Course Introduction to the Basics of Being a Ninja.'_

Naruto was secretly aspiring to be a ninja like his Aniki, which Kakashi very easily picked up on, but kept silent about it. Now, there was one present left. Kakashi's. Naruto reached towards the silver wrapping. Naruto undid it slowly to reveal a piece of cloth. When he pulled it out of the wrapping paper, he realised what it was. It was a face mask. Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at Kakashi who was smiling. Naruto got up and hugged Kakashi while smiling.

"Thanks, Kakashi-Niisan... This is the best day ever."

Kakashi smiled as he saw Naruto look over his presents.

"Put the mask on."

Naruto looked at Kakashi, then the mask in his hand before his grin widened and he put the mask on, looking back at Kakashi, his eyes closed in a smile that reminded Kakashi so much of his younger self. The rest of the day was very easily the single most fun day Naruto had ever had. This was something that he was ALWAYS going to remember.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Three Months Later:**

Naruto had read both books he got for his birthday thoroughly. Kakashi had even taken Naruto to each of his friends for some slight introduction into each person's specialty. Kakashi had broached the subject to his friends the day after Naruto's birthday, and when they saw Naruto, they smiled. Asuma made a wisecrack as per usual.

"So, Kakashi. How far have you gotten Naruto into the Icha Icha series?"

Naruto and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Asuma while Kurenai smacked him over the head, causing Kakashi to smile and sit down with them. After some small talk, Kakashi introduced the idea of training Naruto in the bare basics of each area. The others shrugged. Teaching him the general basics of chakra control, one jutsu each, or in Asuma's and Gai's case, teaching Naruto how to throw shuriken and kunai, as well as some basic Taijutsu moves wasn't all that bad of an idea. Naruto was really happy. Some people were finally seeing that Naruto wasn't a demon incarnate, but someone worth training. Naruto learnt a basic part of each area, such as Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu and some basic Taijutsu moves, as well as Shuriken and Kunai practice. All of Naruto's Sensei's were shocked at how quickly Naruto picked each part up. Within a month, he had mastered both Kawarimi & Henge, as well as having a decent amount of skill in throwing weapons and his ability to learn Taijutsu was beyond what Asuma and Gai had expected. All three Jounins and one Chuunin _'Kurenai was still Chuunin at this point in time'_ decide to teach him some slightly more advanced things. Kakashi could see that Naruto's chakra capacity was already that of an upper level Genin, but his chakra control suffered directly because of it. Kakashi introduced Naruto to the idea of walking up trees with only his feet. Naruto had been dubious at first until Kakashi did it like it was the most normal thing in the world. Kakashi had gone over the mechanics of how it worked until Naruto decided to give it a try. Naruto had made it about half way up the 50 or so meter tall tree before the bark cracked and repelled him off it. After about three or four goes, Naruto had made it to the top, with a very impressed Kakashi standing at the base. The training that the Jounins and Chuunin administered on Naruto gradually got tougher as the months went by. Gai had showed Naruto that the training weights he wore could have their weights adjusted to whatever weight Naruto wanted by pumping an appropriate amount of chakra into them. Naruto experimented, pumping just a small amount of chakra into the forearm guards, which increased the weight by a small amount. Gai told Naruto, taking out the 'flaming passion of youth' stuff that he should wear the weights at all times except for when he showered and slept, and every time he felt his body become use to the weight, to increase it. Gai had told Naruto that this would increase not only his youthfulness, but would even make him into a great example to all people who were enjoying the springtime of youth. Kakashi translated this into an increase in agility, speed and strength and stamina capacity.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**One Year Later:**

After the first year of training, Kakashi had given Naruto five pieces of paper, telling him to channel chakra into each piece. When Naruto got to the second piece, the paper burst into flames, much to Naruto's dismay. Kakashi had smiled and motioned Naruto to keep going. The next piece of paper that reacted to Naruto crumpled, and Naruto moved onto the last card, where the card reacted again, being sliced cleanly in half. Kakashi shook his head in pure disbelief.

"Naruto, you have three elemental affinities already. The three main types of elemental jutsus that would be best suited to you would be Katon, Raiton and Fuuton."

Naruto nodded in understanding, having already learnt about each of the five major elements and the basic theories of major elemental combinations to make sub elements. A few were known, such as Mokuton and Hyoton. However, from the elemental affinities that Naruto had, there were no known sub elements he could think of. Kakashi had begun teaching Naruto a basic Katon jutsu called Katon: Housenka no Jutsu. Naruto had learnt it surprisingly quickly, and at the end of the day, Kakashi gave Naruto the next day off to do what he wanted as long as he came back at diner time.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Naruto was walking down the streets, just looking around at everything in general. Naruto had, at Kakashi's suggestion, started growing his hair a bit longer. By now, Naruto had something that was half way between a miniature mullet and frullet combo _'A frullet, as its name might suggest, is a mullet... But at the front.'_ and a mop _'a mop makes you look like exactly that. A mop.'_ However, Naruto had tied this back in a small pony tail. Naruto was still wearing all black, as well as his utility belt, shin/forearm guards and ninja sandals. Naruto heard kids shouting in the distance, so he went to check. When he got there, he saw a group of kids pretty much his own age having a rather heated argument. Naruto went up to them.

"What's wrong, guys?"

Everyone turned to the new arrival with a lazy look in his eyes.

"We're trying to play ninja."

Naruto's eyebrow rose. His curiosity was being sucked in.

"Ninja? What exactly do you do in this?"

The other kids gave an 'eeeh?' but one explained it to him.

"Well, you divide the people playing up evenly, and both teams have to hide. The first team to lose all of its players loses the game."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"And how does a team 'lose' a member?"

The kid that started talking to him continued. It seemed he was the leader of the group.

"Well, when one person tags another team's member, that person who got tagged is out of the game."

Naruto nodded.

"So it's basically team tag?"

They nodded.

"Alright, so what's the problem?"

The kids all looked at one particular boy who was rather large, which Naruto vaguely recognised to be from one of the middle clans of Konoha.

"The team that gets this guy automatically loses. We have an uneven number if he plays."

"Why does the team that gets him automatically lose?"

The boys smirked.

"He has no idea how to hide at all. He also is to slow and he gives his position away when he moves."

Naruto looked at the boy in question.

"You're an Akimitchi, right?"

The boy's eyes widened as he nodded. Naruto turned back to the other boys.

"According to your rules, yes, whichever team he would be on would lose. However, this is nothing more than a game of team tag. If it really were a game of 'ninja', once one of the other team's members has been spotted, you would have to not just tag them, but force them to submit. What do you think would happen in the real world if you ambushed another ninja, jumped out and 'tagged' them? They'd laugh at you and kill you. If you added a second rule that forced the other team to make your members submit by force, then you could call it ninja. If that rule was added, I'd be willing to say whichever team had him would be guaranteed victory."

They all looked at this kid in shock. One of the kids smirked.

"Why would the team win?"

"Because, the Akimitchi aren't known for their stealth. They're known for their power. I'd say that boy would have about ten times as much chakra as most of you. Once you had an opposing team member cornered, he could literally kick them to the other side of Konoha."

The boys looked at this new kid in fascination. He was smart, no doubt about that. Naruto turned to the Akimichi who looked on the verge of tears. Naruto looked back at the others, deciding that a reciting of a line from his aniki would suit the situation.

"Never underestimate an opponent. There are no weak soldiers under a strong commander."

Naruto turned to keep going. Little did he know that the situation was being watched by quite a number of people apart from the boys that were involved in it and were quite impressed by the boy's level of knowledge for a six year old. Naruto started walking up towards a stairwell that led to the top of a building that he sometimes liked to look out over Konoha from. He hearted footsteps from behind him and saw the Akimichi and another boy running up to him. Naruto turned to them as they came up to him, smiling. The Akimichi talked first.

"Thanks for that. Those boys are always telling me I'm fat or I'm slow."

Naruto shrugged.

"I think they have no idea about what they're talking about. By the way, I never got your name."

The boy smiled.

"Chouji. Akimichi Chouji."

Naruto turned to the other boy.

"I saw you there too. Could I get your name?"

The boy nodded.

"Shikamaru of the Nara clan."

Naruto nodded and extended a hand forward.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

Both boys shook his hand and they continued walking up the last of the stairs to see a much larger man with a huge mane of red hair sitting on the bench. The man turned to them and smiled.

"Chouji, Shikamaru. Who's this young man you've brought with you?"

Chouji smiled.

"Hey dad. Well, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He just came and defended me against those kids that always call me fat."

The man looked to Naruto before smiling.

"Thank you for that, Naruto. I happened to hear the entire conversation. You're very intelligent for a six year old."

Naruto smiled at him.

"Thank you. But what I said was just the truth. Akimichi specialise in power, not speed from what I've read. Also, calling that game 'ninja' was a stupid idea."

The man chuckled.

"Your logic was completely sound, there's no need to justify it."

Chouji sat next to his dad, while Naruto took a spot next to Chouji and Shikamaru took a spot next to Naruto. Naruto's stomach growled as he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"I wouldn't be able to get-"

Chouji smiled and pulled out a bag of potato chips, breaking the seal and letting Naruto pick the chips out of the bag. Naruto took a few while Chouji offered some to Shikamaru, and they all started munching on them. Chouji turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I haven't seen you around before. Are you new to this village?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I was born here. Until the age of four, I lived in an orphanage. A few weeks after I turned four, someone adopted me. He's really cool. His name is Kakashi."

Chouji's father turned to Naruto in interest.

"Kakashi? As in Hatake Kakashi?"

Naruto nodded.

"That's him. He's a really nice guy. I've met a bunch of his friends, but I don't have any my own age..."

Naruto looked down to the ground, rather saddened by the fact. Chouji smiled at him.

"Want to be my friend?"

Naruto looked up at him happily.

"Really?"

Chouji nodded and Naruto smiled.

"Sounds like fun."

Shikamaru smiled as well.

"Well, if Chouji's going to be your friend, then I might as well too."

Naruto couldn't get much happier. He smiled at Shikamaru and the boys continued to eat chips and chat with their new friend/friends well into the afternoon.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Months Later:**

Naruto had become fast friends with both Shikamaru and Chouji, quickly finding out that Shikamaru was a VERY good Shougi player. Naruto's relationship with his Sensei's had also come along dramatically. Especially Kurenai. Most of the others noticed that Kurenai was starting to 'melt' as they called it, which usually earns them a glare when they mentioned it. Naruto had even gotten to the stage of calling her 'Kurenai-Chan'. Kurenai liked Naruto because he was so bashful around her. All she had to do was put her face close to his and stare at him, or smile at him and he would look at the ground and blush, scratching the back of his head at the same time. Kurenai actually found this quite cute, but she would never let the others know. At times, she even called him 'Naru-Chan' which practically made him faint. By now, Naruto had already mastered several Ninjutsu from each element. He'd lapped up Kurenai's Genjutsu lessons and he was also becoming very competent in Taijutsu, adopting some of the Gouken, or Iron Fist style into a mix of other various fighting styles that each teacher had. Kakashi was especially helpful with the styles he had copied with the Sharingan. Over the next two years, Naruto's unique Taijutsu style had a massive number of flaws in it, until he individually worked the kinks out of the vast majority of the style. All of his teachers commented that his style needed a new name. So Naruto got thinking while continuing to learn from his Senseis. Eventually, he settled on the name Kageken, or 'Shadow Fist', due to the style mainly relying of excessive agility to keep the enemy on their toes, constantly appearing in their shadow and a decent amount of power so that a lot of powerful hits could be made in a short amount of time. The one downside to this is it required a huge stamina capacity to use to its full potential. However, for less serious occasions, or if he was running low on stamina, Naruto could sacrifice the power and use the speed for much longer. By the end of that year, Naruto believe he was ready for the academy, however, Kakashi said to wait until next year. Naruto agreed, as if he entered now, he would not be able to be in the same class as Shikamaru and Chouji, who had come over to his apartment to play quite a number of times. Shikamaru had proven he was Naruto's equal in Shougi. Shikamaru had never met some one who could play Shougi as well as Naruto, and was shocked at the boy's level of knowledge and foresight. During the next year, Gai decided it would be interesting to see if Naruto could open his Celestial Gates. Naruto had not too long ago enquired as to the mechanics behind the Raikiri, to which Kakashi had told Naruto that it relied on complete activation of the body, which was then concentrated into the thrusting arm. The theory behind temporarily opening the Celestial Gates used the same principle in a different manner. Unlocking the gates required activation of the body, or more specifically, certain parts of the body. When Gai gave Naruto the theory behind the gates and told him to try it, Naruto wasn't able to do it, which was no surprise. However, when he came the next day after having studied all the scrolls on the gates he could, believed he could open the first one. When Gai instructed Naruto to try, Naruto began to concentrate his chakra to his brain where the first gate was located. Naruto felt a surge of power, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Gai's eyes widened as the ground under Naruto began to crack as red chakra leaked out of Naruto and formed a massive aura of chakra that gave off a feeling of pure utter dread to everyone who felt it. Within no time at all, Kakashi and the Sandaime Hokage were at the field, inspecting Naruto as he sat, panting on the ground. Kakashi looked at Naruto, his face full of worry.

"Naruto, what just happened?"

Naruto looked up at Kakashi and then at the old man Hokage.

"Well, I opened the first gate, and then this... Red chakra poured out of me. Gai-Sensei tells me that red chakra shouldn't come out until the third gate is opened..."

Kakashi looked at the Hokage worriedly, who looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, did you feel anything unusual about the red chakra?"

Naruto nodded.

"It felt both foreign and familiar at the same time... But the chakra was full of hate, anger and bloodlust... I've never felt that much of it before..."

Sarutobi nodded slowly, taking this in. Naruto looked up at them for an explanation.

"Aniki? Old man? What happened?"

The old man rubbed his temples and directed everyone back to Naruto and Kakashi's place where they all took a seat. Kakashi prepared some tea for the four of them while the Hokage thought about where to begin.

"Naruto, do you remember your birthday?"

Naruto nodded slowly, having no idea where this was going.

"October 10th..."

The Hokage nodded.

"Do you remember the story about the Kyuubi?"

Naruto nodded again.

"Yondaime defeated it, didn't he?"

The Hokage didn't nod or shake his head, but took a puff of his pipe.

"Defeated is the right word. Technically, the Kyuubi is still alive, but only in a spiritual sense."

Naruto frowned. He didn't like where this was going. Not one bit.

"Then that red chakra was..."

The old man nodded again, a Kakashi handed a mug to the other three and sat down next to Naruto with his own.

"Yes, that Chakra was Kyuubi's. Naruto, a being such as the Kyuubi could never be fully destroyed by a mortal, however, the Yondaime used a special jutsus that ripped the Kyuubi's soul out of it's body, killing it in a physical sense, and the soul was sealed inside a newborn child. The Yondaime's wish was that the child be viewed as a hero; the jailor of the most powerful demon to ever walk the earth, however, people quickly started circulating rumours that the child was not the jailor, but the Kyuubi himself. The rumours were completely unjustified, but the rumours continued to spread. To save the child, I was forced to pass a law that the people who knew were forbidden to talk about it, especially with the child's generation in the hopes the child could at least gain some friends with people his own age."

Naruto shook his head slowly. It all fit. Every single thing. The hatred he received from everyone, the reason no one adopted him until Kakashi did, and the reason why the people feared and hated him.

_'God dammit, why was I the one?'_

Naruto looked up at the Hokage.

"Why me?"

The two simple words had severe implications, but Kakashi looked at the Hokage and nodded. The Hokage turned to Naruto and began the final part of the explanation.

"Naruto, despite the fact that Yondaime used you as the container, there were very good reasons. I trust your sense of judgment will enable you to use this information wisely. You were the only child born on that day, and even if another one had, the Yondaime would not have dared ask for the other one. He wanted his own son to bare the burden and surpass him."

Naruto just shook his head. The Kyuubi made sense, but now they were trying to insinuate that he was the Yondaime's son? This was stupid.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that? Why not leave me a note, a picture, SOMETHING to say I'm sorry!"

Naruto was known on his feet, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Gai looked at the flor while the Hokage rubbed his temples but Kakashi picked something out of his pocket and handed it to Naruto. It was a picture of the Yondaime, looking forlornly over a child who had a tuft of blonde hair. Standing with him were three others. Naruto recognised two of them instantly. One was the Sandaime, while the other was a teenage Kakashi. Naruto stared at it before Naruto flipped it over and couldn't hold the tears back. There was a message on the back addressed to him.

_'I'm sorry, son._

_Your old man, Arashi.'_

Naruto collapsed onto the chair and sobbed, the picture clattering out of his hands. At that point, there was a knock on the door, and Gai went to see who it was, surprised to find Kurenai and Asuma at the door looking very worried. When they saw Naruto in tears, they could guess what had just happened. They came in and closed the door. Asuma nodded to his father, the Sandaime, while Kurenai's maternal instincts took over and she hugged the sobbing Naruto. In all the years she'd known him, she'd never EVER seen him cry. Kurenai noticed the picture on the floor and grimaced. She was not the least bit surprised at Naruto's reaction to the photo. Knowing that Naruto had just been told who his father was, the Kyuubi explanation would have come too, which would explain why they felt the Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto just leaned into Kurenai's chest and sobbed for the better part of an hour while everyone in the room looked extremely downcast and for good reason too. Eventually, Naruto stopped crying and Kurenai let him go. Naruto looked up at her, his cheeks puffy with crying, but the hint of a smile playing across his face.

"Thanks, Kurenai-Chan."

Kurenai smiled as she hugged Naruto again. Naruto finally realised where exactly he was located. Right in between her sizeable cleavage. Everyone could detect Naruto's embarrassment as Kurenai let him go, trying to keep herself from blushing. Asuma and Kakashi smirked. They were definitely not going to let Naruto live this one down. This was fuel for taunts and the like that would last for years. After several hours of explaining to Naruto that he was forbidden to tell anyone outside this room any of this information, everyone except Naruto and Kakashi left, Asuma giving Naruto a knowing smile, which turned Naruto bright red. Once the door shut, Kakashi turned to Naruto.

"So, what was it like?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi in confusion.

"Huh?"

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled as he smiled in that lazy fashion.

"Her chest."

Naruto flushed again as he crossed his arms while Kakashi just continued smiling at him.

"Pervert."

Kakashi chuckled at the name and decided to eat out tonight before getting an early night. He took Naruto to a place that Naruto had recently come to enjoy. Ichiraku Ramen. They both sat down and greeted the owner.

"Hey, Ojiisan!"

The man smiled at the boy.

"Ah, hey there Naruto. I see you've brought your brother with you this time. What can I get for the two of you?"

Naruto jumped in with his favourite order.

"One Large Miso Pork Ramen with a Boiled Egg please, Ojiisan!"

The man turned to Kakashi.

"And for you?"

Kakashi smiled at the man.

"One Large Miso Beef Ramen please."

The man nodded and got to work.

"Coming right up!"

After they had both eaten, Naruto and Kakashi paid and walked back to the apartment. The 'day of reckoning' as Kakashi called in jokingly was close at hand. Naruto was about to enter the academy.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the Start of the Next Year:**

Kakashi had walked Naruto to the Academy where he quickly met up with his two friends Shikamaru and Chouji, who had come with their parents. The boys greeted each other while the parents did the same. They turned to the Hokage as he addressed them, welcoming the students to the academy. Most of the parents were listening, but the children, being their age, let their minds wander. The majority of the children's eyes ended up on Naruto and Kakashi, while Naruto was specifically looking at a Raven haired boy and a brunette who was most likely his father. Both of them had the Uchiha family crest on the backs of their jackets. It was clear the father did not want to be there, and he proved it when the second the speech finished, he turned and left his sone there. The other parents and their children walked inside to sign their sons or daughter's name off on the list that the head teacher had. Once it came to Naruto's turn, the man looked at Kakashi and smiled.

"Ah, Kakashi-San. This must be Naruto, correct?"

Kakashi nodded. The Chuunin looked at Naruto smiling kindly. Naruto noticed the man had a very tanned face with a scar running across the bridge of his nose.

"Welcome to the academy, Naruto. I've heard a lot of positive stories about you. I look forward to teaching you."

Naruto nodded and as his name was ticked off, he was directed to a classroom. Kakashi walked him to the classroom door and as he walked in, the formerly rowdy class calmed down again when they saw the newest father/son couple walk in. However, the 'father' was extremely young, and while they did both look similar, even their facial expressions were a carbon copy; the age difference was far too small for the man to be Naruto's father. Naruto turned to his family and waved goodbye.

"I'll see you tonight, Niisan."

Kakashi waved and walked out of the classroom. Naruto turned back to the class, noticing Shikamaru and Chouji smiling at him. Naruto smiled back and took a seat beside them, completely ignoring the fact that the majority of the classes eyes were on him. Naruto took his eyes off Chouji for a moment and saw one of the girls. She had a rather feisty look in her eyes. Naruto ignored it and looked forward to see EVERY single girl in the class was looking at him in much the same manner. Naruto knew that look. It was the look a predator gave its prey. Naruto smiled and sweat dropped. Waving his hands dismissively in the air, Naruto spoke out loud for the class to hear.

"Sorry, ladies, I'm taken."

There was a unanimous groan from every single girl in the class room. Naruto smiled as the boys sweat dropped. Shikamaru looked at Naruto.

"Since when did you get a girl?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Since yesterday."

Shikamaru mumbled before he spoke loud enough for the people around him to hear.

"Mendokusei..."

Naruto's eyes crinkled into a smile. The last of the people were coming into the classroom. Naruto noticed a boy with a mass of brown spikes, sunglasses and a trench coat. No one moved up for the boy, but Naruto moved up to make room for him. The boy took the spot with a slight nod.

"No problem."

Everyone else turned to Naruto, thinking he was picking a fight. The boy looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Did you just-"

"Read your body language? Yeah."

Shino nodded and continued looking at the boy. Naruto smiled at him.

"You wouldn't happen to be from the Aburame clan, would you?"

The boy nodded slightly again. Naruto smiled.

"I always thought having bugs as a weapon would be an interesting way of fighting."

Most of the people looked at Naruto like he was crazy, but the Aburame heir just raised an eyebrow. Naruto smiled.

"I do my research. The name's Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto extended a hand, as did Shino after considering it for a second.

"Shino. Aburame Shino."

They let go of their hands and they noticed that the last student had entered the class. Most of the students looked at the boy suspiciously, but Naruto moved up again to make space for the boy who took the seat. Naruto could tell from the red facial tattoos and the dog with him that this boy was an Inuzuka. Naruto smiled as he held up a hand in greeting.

"Yo! You're an Inuzuka, right?"

The guy nodded, flashing some slightly longer than normal canines, which most of the others flinched at, but Naruto's group kept on looking at their new guest. Naruto stuck out his hand.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The guy accepted his hand.

"Inuzuka Kiba."

Naruto looked at the small dog on top of Kiba's head.

"What's your companion's name?"

Kiba was shocked. Naruto wasn't looking at the puppy as if it were just a puppy, but as if it were almost human. This boy understood the Inuzuka's connection with their partners. He was definitely something else.

"His name's Akumaru."

Naruto waved at the puppy, who gave a bark in greeting. Naruto looked at their group of five before their instructor walked in. It was the Chuunin who had the scar across his nose. He looked at the class, rather surprised at the quietness. He usually had to tell them to keep it down before he started the lesson.

"Well everyone, from today for the next five years, you will learn the basics of being a ninja and to prepare you for the outside world. I'm Umino Iruka, or to you, Iruka-Sensei."

The day pressed on and quickly drew to an end Naruto's group of five made it to the front door of the academy to see that the parents were waiting for them. Kakashi waved to him and Naruto waved to his new and old friends as he went to his brother.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**5 Years Later:**

It was the day of the Graduation exam. Naruto's group had gotten together one night a week for the last few months to discuss what the exam could be, and how to study for it. Kakashi had hinted at them what the exam most likely consist of, and when Naruto heard the word 'bunshin', he sighed at the distant memories of his first few weeks at the academy. Kakashi had quickly found that Naruto could not do a regular Bunshin if his life depended on it. It had to do with the sheer amount of chakra he had. Naruto had figured out that the only way to do any Bunshin was to learn a higher level one, one that required a large amount of chakra. Kakashi had decided that teaching Naruto the Kage Bunshin was his best bet. Kakashi was not surprised when Naruto did it successfully on the first try. So when Naruto was required to do a Bunshin for the first time at the Academy, he made a Kage Bunshin, completely shocking not only the entire class, but Iruka as well. Naruto looked up at Iruka and explained.

"Since my chakra capacity is so big, it's physically impossible for me to do a regular Bunshin. So Niisan taught me the Kage Bunshin."

Iruka nodded dumbly as Naruto had returned to his seat, getting a high five from Kiba, a nod from Shino, a 'troublesome' from Shikamaru and some chips from Chouji. Since then, everyone in the class wondered how strong Naruto truly was. When Sasuke had inquired, Naruto told him bluntly.

"A ninja never reveals his true strength unless necessary."

That answer had got Sasuke fairly riled up. The class progressed through the years, and Naruto was always number one in everything by a mile. On the day of the Graduation exam, Naruto walked into the room, greeted his friends and took his usual place. Iruka informed them that the first test of four was a written. A lot of students groaned as the papers were handed out. They were told not to turn them over until the rules were explained and no questions were allowed to be asked. When Naruto got his paper, and the order was given to begin, Naruto turned the paper over and stared. This was NOT a set of questions a Genin should be able to answer. Hell, high Chuunins would have difficulty. Naruto looked around and saw that everyone was doing fine. Naruto looked questioningly at Iruka who smiled. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

_'He set this up!'_

Naruto looked at the ten questions on the page and proceeded to try and remember what the answers to these were. He'd either heard the answers or had been quizzed on them before at some point. Now it was all a matter of remembering. Naruto began to write the answers down and finally got to the tenth question, which he narrowed his eyes at.

_'10: Shinobi Rule # 25: A Ninja must keep his emotions in check at all times and put the mission first. Do you support this rule, or do you think it should be redone? Provide a reason for your choice, and if you chose to reconstruct it, provide the reconstructed version.'_

Naruto sighed. This was a damn difficult question. However, Naruto got the feeling that if he got this one right, the others wouldn't really matter. Naruto had long ago heard this rule and thought it was absolute garbage. He had even constructed his own version. Naruto wrote his answer carefully.

_'I believe that Shinobi Law # 25 needs to be reconstructed. The current law suggests all emotion is taboo and that humans are mindless killing machines. No matter how much you suppress a person's emotions, you will never truly kill them completely. If you do manage to, they are no longer human. The rule should be reconstructed to say: A shinobi will face situations in his life that will destroy the souls of most men. At times like these, he must steel himself, no matter how hard it may seem.'_

Naruto put down his pen, quite pleased with himself. He looked at the time. Less than 60 seconds to go. Naruto counted down until the seconds hand reached the 12 and Iruka called for the class to put their pens down. Iruka collected the sheets, stopping when he saw Naruto's. Naruto looked up at him lazily.

"Any particular reason you gave me a test that the majority of Chuunins could never answer, Iruka-Sensei?"

Naruto was aware that the entire class was staring at him. Both Shikamaru and Kiba, who were on either side of Naruto boggled at the questions. Kiba, being the loudest one of the group, expressed the group's opinion.

"What the hell? What kind of questions are those? Reconstruct the 25th Shinobi law? Naruto, you actually answered that?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Who ever made that rule was an idiot. No human can be turned into a mindless killing machine without losing their humanity."

The others stared at Naruto who was lazily staring at the board. Iruka straightened the papers on his desk and then looked up at the class.

"While the next two stages are being done, the papers will be marked. Everyone, please follow me to the training field."

The 'training field' was actually a very spacious area around the back of the academy used for shuriken and kunai practice. Iruka called them out alphabetically, starting from 'z' and ending in 'a'. Apart from Yamanaka Ion, it put Naruto first. Although not as blatant as the first test, this gave everyone else except Ino an edge over Naruto. They would be able to see what he could do and then try and better him. After Ino, Naruto stepped forward, taking the designated number of shuriken out of his pouch and taking aim at the straw dummy that had several targets on it over vital points. Naruto was allowed to throw up to eight shuriken, as long as it was in one throw of each hand. Naruto slipped the shuriken into the spaces between each finger and thumb with practiced ease and took aim. Naruto was aiming to get every single vital point with one shuriken. Naruto stated his targets for everyone to hear, as the rules asked.

"8 targets. Liver, Lungs, Spine, Sub Clavicle Vein, Jugular Vein, Brain, Kidneys, Heart."

Everyone murmured amongst themselves. Naruto was going for an absolute perfect score, which had not been attempted since Hatake Kakashi did the exam. Iruka motioned for Naruto to go when he was ready. Naruto closed his eyes and focused for several seconds. Everyone was dead silent as Naruto concentrated. He snapped his eyes open and launched the 8 shuriken at the same time. The shuriken spun in the air, letting out the sound of metal cutting air at extreme speed. The eight metallic implements of death struck their intended targets dead centre, and everyone was speechless. Naruto had just done something that had not even been attempted for the last 14 years. Naruto turned back to Iruka.

"It kind of helps to be trained by the last person to do it."

Naruto walked back to his little group, receiving pats on the backs, and girls swooning over him. Sasuke went next, still extremely peeved at Naruto's skill, going for only 5 targets, getting every one of them. The rest of the test went without incident, and they were moved to the final two tests were on. They lined up for the Henge test, again going by reverse alphabetical order. Naruto went second and saw that the class was watching expectantly. The corner of Naruto's lips twitched as he saw something the rest of the class did not. Iruka was wearing a small knife strapped to his leg, which the table hid from view. Naruto didn't even form the seal he was so familiar with the jutsu. The cloud of smoke expanded off Naruto to reveal a perfect copy of Iruka, knife and all. The students were commenting about the knife being incorrect when Iruka sighed.

"You even saw the knife, eh Naruto?"

Naruto released the Henge and nodded. After the test was done, the scores were announced for the written test. Naruto had not surprisingly come first, Sasuke second, and Sakura third. They were told to move one person at a time into the next room for the Bunshin test as their name was called out. Naruto was unsurprisingly called first, as it seemed this time it was not going via any order in particular. As he walked into the room, he felt his chakra affected just barely by something. Looking around the room, he saw nothing suspicious and put his fingers together, to dispel the Genjutsu.

"Kai!"

Iruka sighed. That was the final hurdle that the Hokage had ordered placed for Naruto. Naruto was home free once he made the two Bunshins. Naruto looked at Iruka and formed the seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The room filled with smoke and when it cleared, the room was filled with... Naked busty blondes. They smiled and made very provocative poses at Iruka and Mizuki, whose eyes widened and they flew out of their chairs, leaving twin trails of blood ejecting from their nose. Little did Naruto know that several others were watching him that were not inside the room. The Hokage had past out from nose bleed, watching from his crystal ball in his office, while Kakashi and Asuma both fell unconscious for the same reason, using camouflage jutsus to hide themselves just outside the window. Naruto laughed as he dispelled the clones and the henge on himself.

"Judging by the fact that I single handedly knocked out two Chuunins, two Tokubetsu Jounins, and most likely the Hokage at once, I think I deserve this. Naruto picked out a hitai-ate that had long black pieces of cloth attached. Naruto looked at them on the ground and suddenly, Naruto had a plan. He whipped out his trusty digital ninja camera and took a few shots of both the Chuunin. He fastened the hitai-ate around his head and went back to the class, opening the door, where everyone looked at him expectantly. Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at them.

"I think I went a bit overboard... They're both currently unconscious from blood loss caused by an overload of perverted thoughts."

They stopped for a moment before Shikamaru's head slammed onto the desk, Kiba started howling with laughter, Chouji smiled, and Shino raised BOTH eyebrows. Naruto waved at them.

"Good luck guys... Assuming they ever wake up..."

Naruto left the room while the others went to see if what Naruto had said was true, and sure enough, both Chuunins were against the wall with twin tails of blood leading from their nostrils. Naruto went outside and pulled out his trusty, all purpose digital ninja camera again and snapped some shots of both Kakashi and Asuma, promising himself to show them some time later before he created a Kage Bunshin to wait for him in the room the graduates were supposed to wait in while he snuck into the Hokage's office to take several pictures of him as well. He got back just in time to replace himself with his clone, just as Sasuke entered the room, scowling at Naruto.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Later that Afternoon:**

Both Chuunins had eventually recovered and finished off the rest of the examinees, before they walked into the room, glaring at Naruto who smiled innocently at them. They stood in front of the class.

"Congratulations to those here who have passed. We will now announce the top three rankings for the exam, the year and the academy class, as well as Rookie of the year. First place for the exam, Uzumaki Naruto. Second place, Uchiha Sasuke. Third place, Haruno Sakura. First place for the year, Uzumaki Naruto. Second place, Uchiha Sasuke. Third place, Yamanaka Ino. First place for the class, Uzumaki Naruto. Second place, Uchiha Sasuke. Third place, Yamanaka Ino. Rookie of the year is Uzumaki Naruto. For the rest of you, the total results will be posted in the reception of the academy. I would like all of you to report back here at 7 am sharp so that I may assign your teams. Again, congratulations on passing."

Iruka left the room, giving one last good natured glare at Naruto before the class got up to leave. Just as Naruto was about to leave the row, he was stopped by Uchiha Sasuke. Everyone in the class stopped at this. Naruto's lazy expression turned to the Uchiha.

"You could have just called for me if you wanted something, Sasuke."

"Shut up. Fight me."

Naruto pushed Sasuke aside and continued down the isle and was about to walk out the door when Sasuke taunted him.

"Scared, Uzumaki?"

Naruto smiled at him, but his interior was not happy. He would show the Uchiha why he was the rookie of the year, and not the Uchiha.

"Of someone who lost to his brother and ran, screaming like a baby? No, not really."

Everyone sensed the temperature in the room drop by several degrees as Sasuke charged Naruto, only to get slammed into the wall. He stumbled back up and prepared to attack again until Naruto slammed him back onto the ground and twisted his arms behind his back, stopping him from doing any seals, keeping his knee in the small of his back to make sure he wasn't going anywhere.

"I won in two moves, Uchiha. You let rage and hate overcome you. You are weak. You know why you are weak? It's because you lack love and compassion for others. Remember that well, Sasuke."

Naruto let Sasuke go and continued out the door as Sasuke stared at Naruto. Sasuke hadn't received such a beating since his brother killed his entire clan. His brother had told him that he needed to hate and detest him, while Naruto told him to have love and compassion for others. Considering that Sasuke had been practically five years younger then, he'd gotten beaten in two moves. Five years on, Naruto had beaten him in two moves. His confused mind made the only logical conclusion it could. Naruto was stronger than Itachi. It was completely inaccurate, but it was the logical conclusion that most people would draw in that situation. Sasuke slowly got up and began pondering Naruto's advice. He continued home, not aware of his surroundings in the least. When he got to the Uchiha Manor, he stopped, looking at the symbol his older brother had cracked with a Kunai many years ago.

"Love... And Compassion..."

Sasuke walked into his house and continued pondering this.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** I definitely have to say, this is by FAR the longest introductory chapter to any fic I've ever written. Again, kudos to antiassasinguy & cs-ayeka for giving me the inspiration to write this fic. Also, big thanks to X DarthMonkey X for the modified 25th shinobi saying. Sorry if I kinda stole it, but it's a damn fine rework of it. Props go to you for that! If you have any friendly comments, please post them. No friendly equals Bannination from reviewing my stories. Until next time, my avid readers!

Ja ne,

Specula.


	2. Formation of Team 8 & the Wave Mission

**A/N:** Yo! I'm not late, considering I posted the last chapter less than five minutes before starting this one. I really hope you guys/girls are enjoying this fic so far.

BTW, this chapter contains spoilers for issue 317 of the manga... Well, kind of... Now, for Comments/Questions/Suggestions:

**demon-sword:** Yo! Thanks for your comments. Remember, that Kurenai in the early stages was known as the 'Ice Queen' of Konoha. Kurenai is starting to warm to Naruto, as this chapter will show. I can't have too much fluff between a 19 year old and a 5 year old can I? When Naruto gets to 12, I'll start introducing fluff. Once he gets to 16... Well, you'll see. The part about the 'melting' was that Kurenai in my fic never showed much emotion towards guys, and Naruto was the first, even if he was just a boy. The others 'joked' that she was melting, not being serious. As for the Celestial Gates, yes it has to do with Kyuubi's chakra; however, it has nothing to do with his forms. I'm not going to make him a super duper overpowerful guy that can make the world self destruct. I will allow him to access either, but not both. So, Gates or Tails. Should he try to access both... Well, let's just say that he's going to go SPLAT. As for Jutsus learnt from each Jounin, he learnt 3 elemental jutsus from each element that he has an affinity for, as well as the basics such as Henge, Kage Bunshin, etc. For Genjutsus, he learnt... Let's just say a few... _'Wink wink. Hint hint.'_ Taijutsu I've explained, plus he learns a new move this chapter for Taijutsu. As for armed Taijutsu, I've taken an example from the latest manga issue and given Naruto a pair of Asuma's trench knives. Why? If you want to know, read this chapter or the manga. It has more to do with Naruto than you think. As I said, Naruto's good in this, but he's not the next Itachi. I was actually thinking of making him High Chuunin/Low Jounin level for the exam when his card is read out. As for updating... DON'T USE THAT JUTSU! _'Is sucked in by the ultimate Genjutsu'_ BWARG! Fine, here's your chapter!

**Ansela:** Thanks for picking me up on that. I'm getting kind of board saying this in all of my fics, but whatever... My word processor, Open Office's spell check is completely stuffed. It's physically impossible to spell check it unless I copy the ENTIRE document onto another computer and copy paste it into Word and then back. Only then will it register spelling errors. The mistakes you see here are the one's I've missed. Apart from that, it's not spell checked. I personally think I'm not a bad speeler considering I make so few errors, but whatever.

**RyokoTenchi:** Know what I think of Pokemon? _'Pikachu runs up'_ Pika pi- SHI-NE! _'Uses Gaara's sand'_ Sabaku Kyu! Sabaku Soso! '_Watches gleefully as chunks of red and yellow rain from the sky'_ That's what I think of the damn temes! Again, thanks for picking my up on those grammar issues.

**FF-loverHP1:** Nah, Naruto only learned the theory. Remember, without the Sharingan, it's an incomplete jutsu, so Kakashi didn't take the risk.

**Dragon Noir:** Yo! Did I say super genius? If I did, I'm going back to change it to regular genius. As for learning Armed Tai from Asuma, there was a VERY specific reason for it. Read the latest manga issue or this chapter to find out why. Those Chakra trench knives aren't regular ones, that's for sure. Well, considering how long the actual chapter was, do you really blame me? If I included a more detailed overview of Naruto's training, it would have been the longest chapter I ever wrote, as well as the longest I'd probably ever write. As for the rankings, I have to agree with you. I've changed it to something more... Believable. Oh, the 'Kurenai's cleavage' incident? No, they're going to shut the hell up about it. Read this chapter to find out how. Well, you're right about Naruto's team. Naru-Shika-Chou. Remember, not all Genin teams have to consist of two guys to ever girl. There were plenty of all guy Genin teams in the Chuunin exams in Canon. I've also thought about it. Naru-Shika-Chou actually makes a hell of a lot of sense. The 'Dobe' Shikamaru who took Naruto's place, because it was too 'troublesome' to move his pencil during the tests. Even in canon, Shikamaru was practically tying with Naruto for the 'wooden spoon' as we call it. Chouji I would have presumed was an all rounder. So, give them the 'Dobe', the Top Dog and an average guy and you got yourself a well balanced team. Well, as well balanced as the Naru-Sasu-Saku team was... IE, the next three Sanin.

**Endolphins:** It earns the humour part this chapter. Believe me. The romance is coming this chapter, and it will stay fairly discrete until Naruto turns 16. After that... Well, I can't promise you anything... As for the elemental affinities, in that chapter, Yamamoto commented that the majority of Jounins had at least two. Some, like Sarutobi, had an affinity for every single one. So, it's not REALLY that unbelievable.

**ranma-hibiki:** Oh yeah, Naruto would have permanently damaged their relationship if she was around, so you better thank me Naruto for not placing her in viewing range!

**Mage Ronin:** You know something? I started an 'Anti Emo-Sasuke' Fan Club a while ago. After a while, I sort of lost contact with it... Like you, Emo Sasuke just pisses me off. I almost wish he'd just slit his wrists and get it over with...

**Takkun832:** Nah, remember, the Genin teams are based on graduating scores. In the official story, Naruto was the Dobe, Sakura was middle of the class and Sasuke was Rookie of the Year. Considering that Naruto is Rookie of the Year, Sasuke was second and Sakura was roughly third, it'd make no sense to put them together, according to the Academy criteria. Read Mage Ronin's reply for the reason your second guess was right.

**Shiano16:** Nobel Prize, huh? Wow, it was THAT good? I think I'll give myself a pat on the back. _'Pat'_ Well, thanks for reviewing and keep reading!

**LbcLostKid:** True, but as I've said with my other fics, all Romaji words that are supposed to have a double 'u' in them can be done in another way. My word processor had a special key that allows me to make the shortened version, which is a single u with a line over the top of it, which is the symbol for a double 'u'. However, when I upload the chapter to the site, the site won't read it, so it appears as a single u. I'm trying to get into the habit of doing a regular double u instead of the special one.

**Artymis Terun:** OMG, I overlooked that... I've changed it now, thanks for that!

**ki master:** Bugger, overlooked that... As for that other fic, I'm going to look into it.

**Soul of the Silver Phoenix:** Yeah, so you noticed it. However, a NaruxKure fic can be done in one of two ways from what I've been able to figure out. 1: Kakashi takes Naruto to meet Kurenai at a young age or 2: Naruto gets assigned to team 8 at the academy. I gave mention that both author's heavily influenced my ideas, but as Sasuke would say 'from here on, it's all original.'

**BountyHunterAWL:** Well, I actually really dislike NarxHarem fics. I don't like the idea of Naruto sleeping around with every woman he can get his hands on. He'd be another Jiraiya. I REFUSE to have a miniature Jiraiya running around in any of my fics. As far as lemons, I did happen to have others, but they were lost many years ago during my spate of hard drive crashes. So, sorry, that's the only one.

**Del'Cera Osirin:** Yeah, I've fixed the troublesome thing, thanks for that. As for Trogdor... I was using that word long before I knew Trogdor from a bar of soap. However, Burninate does not equal Baniniate. Baniniate means block, while Burninate in this sense would mean flame the flamer.

**antiassasinguy:** Yay! One of my idols has given me a review! As for his power level, yeah, he's upper Chuunin/Lower Jounin. And sorry for nabbing some of your plot, it's damn hard to do a NaruXKure fic without having one of two beginnings, which are the one you and I did, or Naruto gets assigned to Team 8 at the academy. As Sasuke said 'from here on, it's all original' As for Naruto's elemental affinities, I gave him fire for obvious reasons, wind because he has it in the manga and for a very specific reason which is revealed in the latest manga issue as well as this chapter, and lightning because I think Raiton jutsus are, in one word, 'sexcellent'. Your views on shinobi and emotions is true. However, what do you think Naruto would do if he saw 'Kurenai-Chan' 'killed' in front of him? Yay! 4/5! Catch you round! I also look forward to your fic being updated, it's good reading.

To everyone else who I didn't answer to individually because it had no questions, thank you all for the reviews! And now, without further ado, I give you, chapter two of Rubies and Sapphires. Enjoy!

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Two:

Formation of Team Eight and Mission to the Wave:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Night:**

When Naruto had gotten home, he opened the door to the apartment with ease and saw that it was completely dark. Warily, Naruto flicked the light switch on to reveal a group of people smiling at him. People he was rather close to. Kurenai smiled and gave Naruto a hug.

"Congratulations on getting Rookie of the Year, Naruto. We're proud of you."

"Thanks, Kurenai-Chan."

They all congratulated Naruto, both Asuma and Kakashi giving him jokes about Naruto's 'new home' being in Kurenai's cleavage when she was out of ear shot. Naruto smirked ever so slightly.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, 5 am:**

Naruto was up bright and early to get the daily _'Konoha Times'_. Just as he suspected, his plans had all come to this. Naruto walked into Kakashi's bedroom and placed the paper and a carefully prepared note next to the bed. His bag already prepared for the final day at the academy and he snuck out of the apartment, leaving Kakashi to face the facts. When Kakashi got up several minutes later, he was aware of something unusual about his room. There was a newspaper and a note sitting on the bed side table. He groggily got up and read the headline. He stopped. He re read it.

_'Chuunin, Jounin and Hokage knocked unconscious by a giant nosebleed.'_

He then read the note.

_'You have been served by Uzumaki Naruto.'_

He quivered in rage as he shouted out his curse.

"I'LL GET YOU YET, NARUTO!"

This awakened the majority of people in the general vicinity, and since most of them started at sun rise, there was no point going back to sleep, so they got up, fetching the paper and finding the headlines to be interesting, and they proceeded to laugh to their hearts content at the content of the full page article. By the time the students were at the academy, when Naruto walked in, everyone stopped and then burst out laughing. Many calls of things like:

"Great job, Naruto!"

"That was genius!"

And the like could be heard. The door flew open and Iruka entered the room, apparently just controlling himself from attempting to kill Naruto. Naruto smiled sweetly at him.

"I hope you learnt your lesson, Iruka-Sensei."

The class laughed again at their teacher's expense, so Iruka decided to just get on with it.

"Alright, again, congratulations on passing. I'm sure you'll all make me proud to have been your teacher-"

Iruka shot a pointed glare at Naruto and the class snickered again.

"Now, you lives as a real ninja begin. There will be many difficult missions that you will need to work together for. Now, I will announce the teams."

Everyone sat to attention at this. _'I'm leaving out all non important teams'_

"Team 7: Yamanaka Ino. Uchiha Sasuke. Haruno Sakura. Your Jounin instructor will be Hatake Kakashi."

Sasuke slammed his head on the table as the two girls began bickering as they did so well.

"Team 8: Uzumaki Naruto. Nara Shikamaru. Akimichi Chouji. Your Jounin instructor will be Yuuhi Kurenai."

Naruto choked on his own spit as he began coughing, making everyone look at him. Naruto glanced at Iruka.

"Who's our Jounin instructor, Iruka-Sensei?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai, Naruto. Is something wrong?"

Naruto about the question. Was there something wrong? His crush was going to be his sensei! But then again, they were going to be seeing a lot more of each other. Naruto shook his head, a slight flush tinting his cheeks, which did not go unnoticed by most people near him. She could have at least warned him...

"No, nothing's wrong, Iruka-Sensei."

Iruka nodded and continued.

"Team 10: Aburame Shino. Hyuuga Hinata. Inuzuka Kiba. Your Jounin instructor will be-"

"Sarutobi Asuma."

Everyone looked at Naruto and Iruka's eyes narrowed.

"Naruto, how did you know that?"

Naruto smiled.

"The fact that I can feel his presence just outside the door and that he hasn't been mentioned yet."

Naruto saw the door open and the man walked in.

"That's right Naruto. Just thank Kami that you weren't on Kakashi's or my team. I'm going to get you for that."

Naruto smiled lazily at the man as the others recognised who he was and began snickering.

"Sure thing, Asuma-Sensei."

Asuma got his team and left. Naruto waving goodbye to Kiba and Shino as they left. Next came Kurenai. As soon as Naruto felt her chakra presence, his cheeks fully flushed and he tried to shrink into his chair, much to the dismay of the others. When Kurenai stepped inside, she saw people looking between her and Naruto. Shikamaru whispered to Chouji.

"Hey, doesn't she look like the girl Naruto likes, according to his description?"

Chouji nodded. The woman smiled at Naruto.

"That was a great prank Naruto. I'm Kurenai, Team Eight's instructor. Follow me you three."

Shikamaru and Chouji had to practically drag Naruto out. Just as Naruto got to the door, he looked at the last remaining team.

"You guys are in for a long wait. Kakashi-Niisan's always two hours late to everything."

The remaining three Genin sweat dropped as Naruto left and closed the door behind him. Kurenai had led the team to a nearby tree and she stood up against it while the three sat on a bench in front of it. For the first time, Chouji and Shikamaru got to see the woman Naruto had a crush on. To tell you the truth, she was a stunner. Long silky brunette hair, dazzling ruby red eyes, creamy white skin, perfectly toned body and one HELL of a cleavage. Naruto was trying not to stare at her, but it was hard. Kurenai chuckled at Naruto.

"Naruto, I'll never get tired of your pranks."

Naruto blushed more and scratched the back of his head as he looked down. Chouji and Shikamaru were unsure of what to make of Naruto's actions in the classroom concerning their new Sensei.

"I think we should introduce ourselves. Although I indirectly know of you from Naruto's descriptions, I want to get to know you personally. So, start with your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams."

Kurenai looked at Chouji.

"You first."

Chouji nodded.

"My name is Akimichi Chouji. My likes are eating, hanging out with my friends and playing pranks. My dislikes are people who underestimate others because of their appearance or rank, people who have to pick on one person as a group and Sasuke's fan girls. My hobbies are training, playing with my friends and taste testing food. My dream is to reach my full potential and show the people who doubted me that I'm not a pushover."

Kurenai nodded, and turned to Shikamaru.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru. My likes are watching the clouds, playing Shougi with Naruto and sleeping. My dislikes are troublesome things. My hobbies are hanging out with my friends. My dream is to become an average ninja, settle down and have kids."

Kurenai raised and eyebrow at the mention of 'troublesome things', but nodded as she turned to Naruto.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up, trying desperately to maintain his resolve.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are ramen, playing Shougi with Shikamaru, hanging out with my friends and..."

Naruto broke off at the thought, blushing slightly more heavily before restarting.

"My dislikes are arrogant people, and people who look down on others. My hobbies are playing pranks, training and making friends. My dream is to become the Hokage, and make everyone in this village recognise me by surpassing all the ones before me."

Kurenai nodded as she introduced herself.

"My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. My likes are talking with friends, dango and calligraphy. My dislikes are others who judge people by their appearances, little orange books and perverts. My hobbies are to train and learn new Genjutsu. My dream, I have not decided on yet."

Kurenai looked at each of them, while Naruto was smiling at the mention of 'little orange books' and perverts. Kurenai grinned at them in a way that made all three boys slightly uncomfortable.

"As I'm sure Naruto is aware, the graduation exam was not the actual Genin exam. It only selected those who would be allowed to take the exam. The test given depends on the Jounin. Usually, the test is the same one that their Jounin Sensei gave them as Genin. My test is going to fall into this category. I need all three of you to meet me at training area 19 tomorrow morning, 5 am sharp. Until then, you are dismissed."

The three could have sworn she gave Naruto a wink as she 'poof'ed somewhere else. The three boys got up, and they turned to Naruto.

"What kind of a test will this be, Naruto?"

Naruto thought about it. Surprisingly, Kurenai had not told Naruto what her test was, but Naruto understood the meaning behind it. Naruto looked at the other two lazily.

"I'm not sure of what the actual test is, but as with every one of the tests, they try and get you to be greedy, but the hidden message is always teamwork."

Both Shikamaru and Chouji smiled, which caused Naruto to smile.

"We've been working together for6 years. Teamwork comes easily to us."

Both Chouji and Naruto nodded as they turned to leave. Naruto thought about something.

"You two want to go get some lunch?"

They both nodded as Naruto looked at them.

"Ramen ok?"

They both smirked. Naruto without his ramen was not Naruto at all. They both nodded and headed to the best place for ramen in Konoha, Ichiraku's.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

At 4:55 am, all three boys turned up at training field 19 with an assortment of weapons. Naruto had barely any sleep for being paranoid about Kakashi getting his revenge on him while he slept, but he was used to going several nights without sleep. They sat under a tree and waited. Right as Naruto's watched beeped to indicate it was 5am; Kurenai appeared in a puff of smoke in front of them. Naruto smiled at her.

"As always, on time, unlike Niisan."

Kurenai smirked at this before the three boys stood up. Kurenai grinned at them and reached into a pocket, withdrawing two bells. Naruto sweat dropped.

"How popular is the bell test?"

The other two looked at him while Kurenai flashed them a smile.

"Most of the current Jounins use it. Naruto, why don't you explain how this works to them?"

Naruto sighed.

"There are two bells. This test has a 66 percent failure rate for the graduating teams. Only three teams will make it. We have to get a bell from Kurenai-Sensei before the time she specifies. The one who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy to redo their final year of training."

The other two frowned. This wasn't what Naruto told them, but he looked at Kurenai as she smiled.

"Exactly. You have until noon to get these bells."

She put an alarm clock on the stump and started it.

"Go!"

All three boys disappeared. Naruto looked at the two next to him from their hiding place.

"Forget what I said back there. The main reason for this test is teamwork. If we can prove to her that we can work together as a team, we'll pass, no matter if we get the bells or not."

Both boys nodded and Chouji turned to Naruto and Shikamaru while they began planning. Once they had come up with a viable strategy, Naruto reached into a sash on his belt and withdrew what looked to be a pair of trench knives. Naruto put them on, channelling chakra to the knives and the boys watched as the knives blades were surrounded by an extended chakra blade. Chouji looked stunned, and Shikamaru raised a lazy eyebrow.

"What's with the knives, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at them.

"I have an elemental affinity for wind, as does Asuma-Sensei. He uses a pair of these knives too. I'll create the initial distraction while Chouji, you basically keep Kurenai dodging. While this is happening, Shikamaru, you get into position for the Kagemane, ok? I'll get the bells."

The other two nodded and Naruto turned to where he could sense Kurenai. Naruto focused to make sure it wasn't a Genjutsu of some sort and nodded. He extended the fingers on one hand and closed them slowly.

_'5..._

_4..._

_3..._

_2..._

_1..._

_GO!'_

Naruto channelled a huge amount of chakra into the knives and hurled them, one after the other at the tree in front of him. They pierced through the tree, the next and the next, making Kurenai hop out of the way from her position in the field. By now, Chouji had appeared, using his Baika no Jutsu and Nikudan Sensha, as he began carving up the field.

"Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!"

Kurenai had to smirk at Chouji's antics until she realised she couldn't move. She managed to see Shikamaru forming a Rat seal from a nearby tree branch smirking at her, seeing his shadow stretching down the tree trunk and up to her own shadow.

"Kagemane no Jutsu... Seiko."

Kurenai was aware of Naruto behind her and he walked up to her, removing the bells from her belt.

"Sorry, Kurenai-Sensei. But we've been working together for6 years. Teamwork comes naturally to us."

Shikamaru let Kurenai go as Naruto smiled at her, holding the bells for her to see.

"While the other's made fun of Chouji for being overweight, we knew he had the ability to become an excellent ninja. And while Shikamaru was the 'dobe' of the class, according to him, it was just too troublesome to move the pen during class. Shikamaru's actually smarter than me. A hell of a lot smarter. His IQ is about 200."

Kurenai looked at Shikamaru. It was true. Shikamaru had the worst score of his year, but the look on Naruto's face implied he was completely serious. Naruto smiled as his team mates gave him the thumbs up. Kurenai smiled at them.

"You saw the real reason for this test. Teamwork. All of you pass. From tomorrow, Team 8 will begin doing missions. Naruto, I trust you don't mind me making you the team captain?"

Naruto turned to the others.

"If they don't mind, it's ok with me."

They both nodded and smiled so Naruto smiled too. Kurenai looked at each of the three boys.

"Congratulations on passing. From what Naruto told me, I had no doubts that you would pass. Meet here at 9 am every morning unless I specify otherwise."

The three nodded and they turned to leave the field, but Kurenai called Naruto back. Naruto motioned the others to keep going, so they did.

"What is it Kurenai-Chan?"

Kurenai smiled at him as he looked up at her, hanging off her every word. She looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, now that you're the team captain, you have several responsibilities."

Naruto nodded, listening to her.

"You are responsible for your team's health and status. Do you remember what we've all taught you?"

Naruto nodded reciting the phrase that had been drilled into him from the age of 5.

"People who disobey the mission directives are trash; however, those who don't take care of their friends are far worse than that."

Kurenai nodded in agreement as she bent down to put her face level with Naruto, smiling at his awkwardness. Everyone in their little group of Jounin friends knew of Naruto's crush on Kurenai. The fact that Naruto tried desperately to hide it made it all the cuter, according to Kurenai. She looked at him, and bent forward, placing her lips to his forehead and Naruto froze. Naruto turned bright red and started trembling. His crush was giving him a kiss. Naruto could pretty much go onto the next world contently. Kurenai pulled back slowly as she looked into Naruto's eyes, ruby red locking with sapphire blue.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You make me proud."

That did it. Naruto's senses were in overload, still very aware of the slight warmth that Kurenai's lips had left on his forehead and the praise that came with it from the object of his affections. Naruto's body did the only thing it could, which was very uncharacteristic for him. He fainted, much to Kurenai's amusement. Kurenai picked him up, 'poof'ing back to Naruto and Kakashi's house to drop him off.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Six Days Later:**

Team 8 had been doing many D rank missions, as well as training by themselves and with others. After the latest mission, Naruto had gone back to Gai for some tips in Taijutsu and met up with not only Gai, but his Genin team, which Naruto had met about a week after they became Gai's team. Naruto waved to the team as he entered their training field. Lee rushed up to him, grabbing his hand in a bone crunching shake.

"It is my eternal rival, Naruto-Kun! Your flames of youth burn brightly, my friend!"

Naruto smiled, but shuddered internally at the title he had earnt himself from a stupid mistake.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Flashback: 1 Year Ago:**

When he first met the team, he saw Lee and the two had made fast friends. Upon seeing Lee use the 'springtime of youth speech', Naruto was acutely aware of the infection of the 'green spandex flames of youth disease', as both Naruto and Kakashi jokingly called it, was spreading from Gai to Lee. Naruto, snapping out of this line of thought and noticed that Lee was expecting an answer and Naruto had foolishly said the worst thing he possibly could have without thinking.

"Sorry, what was that?"

Gai's eyes started burning with the 'flames of youth', who Lee mirrored. Both of Lee's team mates, a chocolate brown eyed, brunette girl and a jet black haired Hyuuga started backing away. Naruto sweat dropped.

"Lee, it seems that my eternal rival's annoyingly hip attitude has passed on to his student! It seems you now have your own eternal rival!"

"Yosh! I will prove with the explosion of youth that hard work will defeat genius every time!"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back in the Present:**

Naruto shook his hand and winced slightly at the pressure. Despite both Lee and Gai's passionate talks of the 'flames of youth', crying, group hugs and the strange Genjutsu that usually manifested in the form of something that would usually be equated to a romantic scene, such as waves crashing against a rock in the afternoon sunset, that even with the help of Kurenai's training in Genjutsu, Naruto still couldn't figure out how it worked, both of them were actually quite accomplished fighters and excellent Taijutsu sparing partners. Soon enough, Naruto had become friends with the girl, who identified herself as Tenten, and even managed to eventually get under Neji's cool exterior to an extent. Today, Gai was teaching them about opening the Celestial Gates and a move that can only be used by opening them. After the theory, as well as some tips from both Naruto and Gai, everyone tried. Even though the group knew that Lee had no chakra, he had a surprising knack for opening gates, as did Naruto. Naruto was puzzled as to why Neji could not open them, considering his clan relied on total control of their chakra, but proceeded to open the first gate. Once he closed it, Gai showed them the move, which shocked even Naruto. The move was a highly destructive, self damaging move, but if you managed to get the enemy with it, they were pretty much guaranteed death. Gai gave Naruto two rolls of specially modified medical tape, insisting that he use them to assist with the move. Naruto found that he could control the movement of this medical tape with chakra. Naruto and Lee both undid part of the medical tape around their forearms and aimed for their individual 'targets' which happened to be two rather large logs. Once they opened the first gate, they disappeared, reappearing inside what would be considered the enemy's guard, giving a savage kick to the log, making it fly into the air. One of the things Naruto, Neji and Gai noticed was that when Lee opened a gate was that his body somehow produced chakra while the gate was open. Using this, both boys controlled the medical tape to wrap around the logs, adding an extremely fast rotation to add extra damage to the impact, slamming the logs into the ground.

"OMOTE RENGE!"

Both boys fell back, panting from the strain on their bodies as they heard the logs crack and split in half, much to Neji and Tenten's amazement. Lee, having boundless energy, jumped up, cheering and shouting while Naruto just shook his head, trying to get over the pain his body was feeling.

"Stamina freak..."

Lee smiled; giving him a 'Nice Guy Pose' and Naruto shuddered as he saw Lee's teeth sparkle. After training with the three for the day, Naruto went home, silently dreading whatever foolish mission they would get tomorrow.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, Midday:**

After a 30 minute meeting, Kurenai had taken the team to receive their mission, much to the chagrin of the team; it was time to find that dreaded cat, Tora again. Naruto just barely suppressed a groan. This was the FOURTH time this week alone they had to retrieve the Daimyo's Wife's damn cat. Naruto seriously wish he could just kick the cat clear into the middle of next week so as to avoid it for at least one week. When they had caught it, the cat attempted to scratch Naruto until he directed a none too small amount of chakra infused hatred at the cat, who quietened down immediately. Shikamaru had sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

When they reported their success to mission command and handed over the offending kitten to the Daimyo's wife, she started violently squeezing the cat against her face. Chouji smiled as he put more chips into his mouth.

"No wonder it runs away so often..."

Naruto was chanting a mantra to himself, which the others heard.

"Hug it harder. Hug it harder. Hug it harder."

Both boys smirked and Kurenai chuckled. The woman left the payment for the Hokage and left the room with a very distressed cat. The Hokage smiled at them.

"Team, 8. Your missions for today include babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in a nearby town, digging up the potatoes-"

Naruto sighed and shook his head before speaking the other three's opinions.

"Old man, do you realise the content of the missions you're giving us? I really don't see how these could be classified as 'missions' for ninja. These are tasks that should be delegated to regular civilians. A ninja is supposed to handle his inventory carefully, not squander it on things that they could be used for something that would better suit their purpose."

Iruka was going to shout out at Naruto, but his logic was sound. There really was no answer to Naruto's request other than to admit that he was right. The Hokage sighed and took a puff of his pipe, reaching into the stack of paper marked 'C'. He handed a scroll to Kurenai, giving them a brief summary of the mission.

"The Wave Country has sent a person to request protection from thugs and bandits as he completes the bridge he is working on. You can come in now."

The door opened, and the team turned to see a thickset man most likely in his fifties. His skin was very tanned, indicating he worked outside most of his life. He reeked of alcohol and the bottle of sake in his hand proved it. He took another swig as he looked over the people that were assigned to protect him.

"What's the idea of giving me three runts for protection? Are you sure they can do it? The blonde looks super stupid."

Naruto smiled lazily as he looked at the man.

"You know, underestimating a person is a grave mistake that will you usually won't live to regret."

The old man stopped drinking a grin spreading over his face.

"I like you kid. I was half expecting you to lose your cool. Sorry about that."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively.

"No harm done. We'll protect you until you complete the bridge."

The man nodded as he thanked the Hokage and led them to the front of the Hokage Tower. Kurenai looked at each of them.

"We're leaving in half an hour from the South Gate. Prepare yourselves for a several week mission. Go!"

The three split, while Kurenai nodded at Tazuna, 'poof'ing away to get her own things, leaving the man to walk towards the South Gate by himself.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Half an Hour Later:**

The three boys met up within a minute of each other, seeing Tazuna already there. As the designated half hour expired, Kurenai appeared and the team walked out of the gates towards their destination. Naruto immediately struck up a conversation with Tazuna about the project he was the head of. Tazuna had carefully prepared a story that would leave out any details hinting this mission was anything more than a C class. Naruto smiled when he felt a Genjutsu and looked to see a puddle on the ground. All four ninjas noticed that it was off. It hadn't rained in weeks, and the weather since it last rained had been very sunny with few clouds. They kept walking and both Naruto and Kurenai felt the Genjutsu dispel and two ninjas charge at them. Naruto flicked his trusty trench knives onto his hands from their hidden pouches in his sleaves and activated the chakra knives. Kurenai smiled at the team.

"Go for it."

Tazuna looked up to see two ninjas wearing face masks, cloaks and a gauntlet on opposing arms that were connected via a chain with their eyes right on him. Shikamaru jumped in front of Tazuna, extending his Kagemane to catch the two Chuunin level ninja unaware. Naruto charged forwards, slicing the chain connecting the ninja in half while Chouji used his combo to turn into a ball of meat while he began rolling towards them.

"Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!"

The ninja looked at Chouji with a look of surprise, fear and a hint of total confusion. Just as Chouji was about to impact them, Shikamaru let go of the Kagemane to ensure he didn't receive friendly fire. Chouji squashed the two ninja and came to a stop. Naruto looked at the two ninja who had stars in their eyes. Naruto took out some Ninja wire from his pack, dragging the pair to a tree and tying them to it. Tazuna looked at the three young ninjas in surprise. No wonder the Hokage had assigned this team to him. These guys were good. Naruto slapped the ninja awake to start questioning them. After he thought he'd gotten all of the info out of them he could, which was very little, he used a Genjutsu to knock them unconscious for quite some time. Naruto turned to check that his team mates and Sensei were uninjured, and they all turned to Tazuna. Naruto spoke for them.

"We really don't mind taking on enemy ninja, but it's not a good idea to hide that info. Judging by the description you gave us of the Wave Country, I can understand the problem with the payment needed for a 'B' or an 'A' rank mission, but if you had told the Hokage of your circumstances, I'm sure you could have come to some agreement."

Tazuna sighed. The boy was smart, no doubt about it. He looked up with a fake smile.

"Sorry about that. So, will you still continue the mission?"

They all looked to Kurenai who just shrugged.

"I may be their Sensei, but if they don't want to, I can't force them."

Tazuna looked at each of them before Naruto's eyes crinkled into a lazy smile.

"Not doing something that you know is right is the coward's way. We all want to continue."

Tazuna looked genuinely happy as he led them further down the road towards the Wave.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

Tazuna had led them to a boat where another man in a coolie hat was waiting. The man nodded to Tazuna, and when Tazuna introduced the four Konoha ninjas as 'super powerful', the man smiled and bowed, introducing himself as Kaji. Once everyone was on board, Kaji started the motor and they made their way upriver into a thick mist. At an apparently random point, Kaji cute the engine, stating that Gatoh's men regularly patrolled this area, asking them to keep it down as he brought out an pole and began pushing the boat the last leg of the journey. Soon enough, the silhouette of the bridge came into view. Shikamaru studied it in a calculative fashion, as did Naruto and Kurenai. Chouji looked at it in awe.

"That's a large bridge."

Tazuna smiled, keeping his voice low like Chouji had.

"Yeah, that's the super bridge I'm building. Once it's completed, the Wave Country will return to its former state of prosperity."

Naruto nodded as they passed under the bridge and arrived at the shore. They got out and Kaji nodded to them.

"This is as far as I can go without being caught. Good luck."

Tazuna nodded.

"Take care, friend."

Kaji nodded and began rowing back the way he had come while the others continued on towards the Wave. After several hours of walking, both Naruto and Kurenai stiffened slightly and Naruto hurled a kunai into a bush. After whatever was in there stopped moving, Naruto went to check what the person wanted. When he cleared the bush, he saw a snow white rabbit looking at him glassy eyes. Tazuna raised an eyebrow, but Naruto knew there was something off. Rabbits that were this colour only came from one country, and Wave wasn't it. Naruto felt his danger sense tingling and he jumped to the ground, as did Kurenai and Chouji, while Shikamaru took Tazuna down just in time to avoid having their heads separated from their bodies.

The massive sword imbedded itself into a tree and a figure appeared on the hilt, staring at them over his shoulder. Everyone recovered and looked at the man. Kurenai's eyes narrowed at the him in recognition.

"Momochi Zabuza, 'S' class Nukenin, former member of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen. This is the last place I expected to run into you."

Zabuza 'hmph'ed and turned around fully, focusing on Kurenai.

"Yuuhi Kurenai, Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha, 'A' Rank. I see you've brought some brats with you. How long do you think they'll last?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow.

"Longer than you think."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow, that is, if he had one. Instead, the skin where his eyebrow would be just lifted.

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in these kids."

Kurenai smiled coldly at Zabuza.

"I do, especially since I've trained them."

Zabuza laughed mirthlessly as he yanked the sword out of the three and landed, forming a single hand seal.

"Kiri Gakure no Jutsu."

The light mist around them rapidly intensified into a severe fog, making them incapable of seeing more than 2 meters in any direction. A disembodied voice floated out from all around them.

"8 Points."

Shikamaru and Chouji raised an eyebrow. Naruto smiled.

"Silent killing. He's going for the 8 vital points of the human body."

There was laughter from all around them.

"You know your stuff kid. Mind telling me what those points are?"

Naruto's eyes crinkled up as he recited them.

"Liver, Lungs, Spine, Sub Clavicle Vein, Jugular Vein, Brain, Kidneys, Heart."

There was more laughter before Naruto felt Zabuza appear right in the middle of there group.

"Exactly. Let's see how many I can get on one swipe."

Naruto flashed forward, shoving a Kunai into Zabuza's stomach only to see the wound drip water, and not blood. Naruto cursed his luck.

"Mizu Bunshin..."

Sure enough, the Bunshin turned to water and splattered onto the ground. Naruto felt another presence behind him. This one was just as weak as the last, so Naruto prepared his plan.

"You're not bad for a runt. However, this is where you die."

Zabuza cleaved Naruto, only to find he puffed into smoke.

"Kage Bunshin?"

Naruto appeared behind Zabuza again, one of Naruto's chakra knives held to his neck.

"Yeah. I would have though a Jounin would never have underestimated an opponent. After all, there are kids my age that are stronger than I am."

Naruto was aware of another Zabuza behind him. This one was also a clone, but he felt the real deal appear behind Kurenai. Naruto stood stock still. No matter what he did now, it was highly likely that one of the groups would die. Naruto should have seen this coming.

"So, you sacrificed pawns until you got me into a false sense of security, and then cornered the queen with yours. I should have seen that."

Zabuza smirked again.

"So you play Shougi. Well, you realise without your 'queen', you're stuffed right?"

Naruto sighed, slowly taking his knife back from in front of him. Zabuza smirked and gave Kurenai a savage kick to the back, sending her flying into the water. Naruto used both knives to inflict a wound deep enough on the clones to destroy both of them before looking at Kurenai.

"Kurenai-Sensei!"

Kurenai got to the surface of the water only to see Zabuza whiz behind her and form several seals, trapping her in a prison of water. He looked back at them.

"Check mate. Hand over the old man."

Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru got to their feet. Kurenai looked at them.

"The three of you, get out of here! Naruto, I may have trained you for seven years, but you're still no match for him! Take Tazuna and run!"

Naruto sighed.

"The second you were captured, we lost that option. If we ran, Zabuza would kill you and then pick us off at his leisure."

Both Chouji and Shikamaru nodded in agreement. Zabuza formed about 10 Mizu Bunshins and sent them to stand around the four of them. Shikamaru bent down and formed his 'thinking' pose. Naruto and Chouji smiled. Whenever Shikamaru formed that pose, he was coming up with a strategy. After about one minute, Shikamaru opened his eyes and put his hands by his side.

"Naruto, I need you to take care of the queen. I'll hold off the pawns with Chouji until you deal with him."

Naruto nodded and readied himself as Shikamaru pulled out 10 kunai, while Chouji prepared to do an old trick. Shikamaru launched the kunai at the clones, who dodged with ease. Chouji focused his chakra to his arms.

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!"

Chouji's arms grew massively disproportionate to his body size, and he brought both hands in a swiping motion, knocking the Zabuza clones back to their original positions where Shikamaru captured them with his clan jutsu that he had extended towards their original positions after throwing the kunai.

"Kagemane no Jutsu... Seiko."

By now, Naruto had long disappeared from his team mate's position and Zabuza felt the boy's presence behind him, running along the top of the water with chakra knives activated. Zabuza smirked and used his free hand to swipe at the boy, who brought the knives up into a defensive position much like a boxer would. After dodging several swipes, Naruto brought the two knives together and captured the sword in between them. Even though Zabuza was using one hand, Naruto was struggling to keep the blade from cleaving him in half. Naruto started trying to push the blade back before he kicked water up into Zabuza's face, making him shut his eyes out of instinct. The split second was all Naruto needed as he dislodged Zabuza's sword from the deadlock and let gravity do its work. Zabuza was still putting a heavy amount of pressure on the sword, and when he felt the resistance disappear, he stumbled slightly, but not enough to break the prison. Naruto took care of that by reappearing behind Zabuza, giving him a boot to the small of the back. Zabuza stumbled and pulled his hand free of the prison, thereby breaking the jutsu, releasing Kurenai. He looked up at Naruto with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"You're good kid. To be able to take me on in armed Taijutsu, even if I only had one hand free and live without a scratch proves that you're good. No wonder your Sensei has faith in you."

Naruto smiled lazily at him distancing himself from Zabuza. Kurenai joined him and they both stared at Zabuza, who stared right back. They both waited for the other to make the first move. Finally, as the splash of water hit the ground that indicated Zabuza's clones had been defeated, the real one started forming hand seals. Naruto instantly recognised the jutsu as one he had seen Kakashi perform not too long ago. However, he still did not know how to perform it, sho he used a separate jutsu.

"Suiton: Suiyuudan no Jutsu!"

"Katon: Karyuu Endan no Jutsu!"

Kurenai had also performed a Genjutsu, making her disappear from the naked eye, leaving the two jutsus to take form and collide. The dragon of water headed straight for the dragon of fire, creating a huge explosion of steam and super heated particles of water. Kurenai had used this time to reappear behind Zabuza with a kunai to his neck.

"It's over Zabuza. Check mate."

Zabuza started to relax, knowing he had lost when he felt two senbon needles pierce his neck, and he dropped to the ground, or in this case, the surface of the water and began sinking until a young child with a mask, signifying he was either an ANBU or Hunter nin appeared, pulling Zabuza's body out of the water.

"Indeed it is checkmate. I have been hunting Zabuza for several months now. He had proven illusive. Thank you for your assistance."

Kurenai nodded slowly as the boy put the body over his shoulder. Naruto raised a lazy eyebrow.

"So, are you going to get rid of the body? I can see it would be hard to do on water, but why not do it over there where my friends are?"

Naruto motioned over to Chouji, Shikamaru and Tazuna. The hunter Nin looked there and then gave a slight shrug, disappearing. Naruto cursed. The boy had left the area.

"Great. The boy took Zabuza somewhere else. I get the feeling that he wasn't what he claimed he was."

Kurenai nodded as they went back to shore, heading the last part of the way to the main village of the Wave.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Afternoon:**

Tazuna had lead the group to a house that looked slightly better quality than the rest, which were not exactly what the group would call 'houses'. Tazuna hadn't been kidding when he said this country was poor. He opened the front door and led them in. Tazuna led them into a room that seemed to be a living room, dining room and kitchen rolled into one. A young woman with long black hair came inside.

"Dad, are you ok?"

Tazuna nodded smiling.

"I'm fine, Tsunami, thanks to these super guys. They saved me twice on the way here."

Tsunami smiled at the three boys and the woman.

"Thank you. The bridge is our last hope to get out of this poverty. If we lost dad that would be the end of it."

Kurenai introduced them to Tsunami as she sat them down, making everyone a cup of tea and chatting about the mission.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Night:**

Team 8 and the three occupants of the house were sitting around the table eating dinner. Shikamaru, Chouji and Naruto were talking about training, as well as some other things. Out of no where, the boy who was apparently Tsunami's son slammed his hands on the table catching everyone's attention.

"Why do you bother trying so hard? You can't defeat Gatoh's men! If you go up against him, you'll just die!"

Naruto just smiled at him.

"Inari, do you believe in heroes?"

The three owners of the house looked at Naruto warily, but he continued on.

"There are two types of heroes in this world. Regular heroes and Martyrs. Being either type of hero has its advantages and disadvantages. The former has to be smart enough to stay alive, or else they'll become a Martyr. However, Martyrs usually set an example to the people around them that they are not afraid to die to protect those close to them, and also have a dying wish for those close to him or her. Which type do you think I am?"

Inari looked at Naruto for a few seconds.

"Martyr?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I can't become a Martyr yet. Not until I achieve my dream. Until my dream is achieved, I will live life in a way that will leave me with no regrets. You should do the same."

Inari was shocked that Naruto had used the line his father used. However, Inari still wasn't finished.

"But how would you know what it's like for someone close to you to die? I bet you've lived a sheltered life!"

Naruto shook his head.

"For the first four years of my life, I had nothing. No one. I was hunted as a monster by mobs of villagers, who took special pleasure in beating me to near death on my birthday. On my fourth birthday, I found someone precious to me. He saved me from the regular mob and even adopted me. From that moment on, I vowed to protect the people important to me with all my strength. Inari, we're the exact opposite in some ways. I started with no family and gained them, while you started with a full family and lost some. Neither of us have had it easy, but we should never judge another by first appearances."

Everyone except Kurenai was shocked speechless. Naruto had lived that kind of a life yet was as happy as he was? Even though Chouji and Shikamaru had gotten an answer they were secretly wondering about, it left them with more questions than answers. Inari slowly stopped crying looking at Naruto who was smiling at him. Inari's lips formed the barest hint of a smile as he rubbed the tears from his eyes.

"Sorry, Naruto..."

Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

"No problem."

Tazuna and Tsunami were almost floored. Naruto, in the space of a minute had completely changed Inari's beliefs, and waved off his apology for the outburst like he was used to such things every day? This boy was by no stretch of the imagination ordinary. Naruto got up and bent down and looked Inari in the face.

"Inari, if you want to stop people precious to you dying, grow strong enough to protect them."

Naruto pulled several shuriken, kunai and a coil of ninja wire from his ninja pack and handed them to Inari, who looked at them like it was a godsend. Naruto gave Inari a warning.

"Be careful how you use them. They can very seriously hurt people. Make sure you get at least a year's practice with them before you even think of bringing them out near people unless it's an absolute emergency. Practice with them in an area where you're sure no people are around, ok?"

Inari nodded again as Naruto ruffled his hair, standing up and putting his plate in the sink.

"Do you mind if I excuse myself? I'm feeling rather tired from today's fights."

Everyone else in the room was still trying to recover from the revelations of the past several minutes, but Tazuna nodded dumbly.

"No... No problem..."

Naruto left the group to head to the boy's room and stripped down to his boxers, before taking a quick shower to get rid of the sweat and grime covering his body. As he walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, he acutely aware of Kurenai just entering her room when she saw Naruto come out. They stared at each other for a moment, not sure what to say or do. Kurenai saw Naruto's well toned body and begun to blush as a few perverted thoughts ran though her mind. Naruto, seeing Kurenai blush, blushed in return. Both of them kept getting redder until Naruto turned and faced the bedroom.

"Gomenasai, Kurenai-Chan..."

Kurenai shook her head.

"I should be the one apologising, Naruto..."

They both shrugged it off and went into their rooms. Chouji and Shikamaru came in soon after Naruto had changed into his sleep wear. Both boys saw Naruto staring dreamily at the ceiling and knew that look anywhere. It was the same look Naruto had on his face the day after they had passed the Genin exam. Both boys ignored it and got changed before getting into their futons and turned out the lights.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Naruto was the first awake, as he usually was, just before dawn. Naruto got out of bed, dressed and crept out of the room so as not to wake the others. He stepped outside and jumped onto the roof to watch the unobstructed view of the sun rising. He became aware of Kurenai walking out of the house. She saw him and jumped up next to him, taking a seat. After a minute, Kurenai broke the silence.

"What you did for Inari yesterday was really kind."

Naruto sighed.

"But it was all true..."

Kurenai chuckled. That was practically Naruto's standard answer to all praise for his support of others.

"I know, and that's what made Inari make a change for the better. You're really unusual Naruto. Not many people could do that sort of thing in under a minute."

Naruto smiled at the praise. He leant his head on her shoulder, which she didn't resist and they watched the sun make it's first appearance over the horizon, turning the sky from black to an odd purple, indicating twilight before it slowly turned to red, orange, yellow, and finally blue. By now, the rest of the house was up, so Naruto took his head off her shoulder, blushing a bit before they hopped down, going inside for breakfast. Once everyone was at the table, the mood was much lighter than last night. In fact, Inari was shovelling down his food with gusto usually seen by famished people. After everyone had finished, Tsunami took the plates and began washing up. Kurenai turned to Tazuna.

"From what I've been able to figure out last night, Zabuza may have been put into just a near death state, he's not actually dead."

Tsunami let a plate drop from her fingers which shattered on the ground while Tazuna let the chopsticks in his hand clatter to the table while Inari looked at her. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"The weapon the boy used was questionable. Normally, senbon needles are used in medical acupuncture, and the chances of getting a kill in two needles is for all intents and purposes, zero. The only way you could achieve something like that is if you trained from a young age using solely needles and had an incredible understanding of the human anatomy."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, adding his own two cents.

"From what I know of how ANBU and Hunter Nins work, once they kill their target, they are required to destroy the body on the spot, taking back something like the head as proof of the kill. Regardless of the fact that Zabuza died on the water, Naruto had told the boy to go to the shore we were on, which was the nearest stable ground, but he disappeared. I'd say he was actually working with Zabuza."

Both Naruto and Kurenai nodded in agreement. Tazuna was visibly shaking, but Naruto smiled at him.

"He was lucky to get away last time. The only thing that saved him was the boy. Now that we know about him, it won't happen again. From an injury like that, he won't be getting out of bed for at least another half a week. Even then, he won't attack us for another few days until he gets his strength back."

All the other ninjas in the room nodded to show they agreed with the analysis. Tazuna sighed.

"Well, at least by that stage, the bridge should just about be complete."

They chatted a bit more before Tazuna brought out a list of things that he needed doing. Some things involved getting supplies for the bridge, such as hand tools, screws, bolts and nuts. Others included buying some groceries for dinner that night. Kurenai took stock of the list and assigned each person duties. Chouji went to get the groceries while Shikamaru went to get the supplies for the bridge. Kurenai opted to guard the bridge which left Naruto to guard the house. Naruto smiled as he turned to Inari.

"Well, since I'm here, I can help you practice with the things I gave you."

Inari hugged Naruto and ran off to get the kunai, shuriken and wire. Once he had returned, Naruto looked at Tsunami.

"Tsunami-San, we won't be going far, however, if anything happens, either drop or throw this to the ground, ok?"

Naruto handed Tsunami a brown ball which she took.

"What is it, Naruto?"

"It's a flash bomb. I'll see it from a mile off. Remember, whatever you do, close your eyes as you throw it. Otherwise, you'll end up temporarily blinded."

Tsunami nodded slowly and put the ball in her dress pocket and Naruto led Inari out the door to a nearby tree. Making sure no one was around, Naruto began instructing Inari on how to throw each implement and also a few things he could do with the wire. By the time it was dusk, Inari was amazed at the patience Naruto had with Inari's constant stuff ups. Naruto stood up and packed away his own gear.

"Come on, Inari, it's almost dinner time."

Inari stood up.

"Ossu!"

Inari grabbed his weapons and followed Naruto back to the house just in time to see Kurenai and Tazuna returning as well.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**About a Week Later:**

For the next 5 or so days, everything was pretty much the same. On the fifth day, Naruto was waiting for Inari to arrive at the tree when he felt the flash bomb go off. Naruto stiffened and ran to the house to see that Tsunami was being dragged out of the house by two thugs while Inari was hurling his kunai and shuriken at them, only half of them hitting them, which both of them expertly blocked with their katanas. Inari, now out of weapons, charged at them blindly, letting out a war cry as he went. Naruto pumped chakra to his feet to increase his speed and just managed to replace Inari with a nearby plank of wood as the thugs sliced the piece of wood to pieces. Both of them were aware of a presence behind them, but neither of them was able to turn around before they were dealt a severe blow to the backs of the neck, knocking them unconscious for quite some time. Naruto looked at Inari, smiling.

"Inari, thanks to that, I was able to save both you and your mum. I need you to do something. Get the villagers and whatever weapons you can get and come to the bridge. Today, Gatoh is going down."

Inari nodded and saluted Naruto as Naruto brought his hands together in a seal muttering 'kai'. The weights on his arms and legs expelled their stored chakra, making Naruto able to move much faster. Naruto blurred out of existence and headed towards the bridge as fast as he could.

"I have to make it in time..."

Just as Naruto got to the bridge, he saw that the group had just gotten there, the unconscious bodies of the workers scattered over the bridge. The mist started thickening quickly as Zabuza and the boy appeared in front of the group. Naruto waited to see what would happen and plan an ambush. Chouji was quickly delegated to taking care of Tazuna, while Shikamaru tried in vain to match up to Haku's speed. Kurenai went up against Zabuza. On the whole, Haku was fairing quite well against Shikamaru while Kurenai was holding her own against Zabuza. Just as the Haku was about to land the killing blow, Naruto blurred in front of Shikamaru and punched Haku in the face, sending the boy at least 20 meters back. Haku got up and looked at Naruto.

"You are that boy from a week ago..."

Naruto nodded.

"I always thought there was something strange about you."

Haku pulled out a senbon while Naruto pulled out his loveable trench knives. Naruto noticed that he was surrounded by Zabuza clones. Naruto smirked and slashed them all across the chest or stomach in under a second, watching them splatter to the ground. Kurenai smiled.

"Finally took of your weights, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have made it here in time if I hadn't."

Zabuza chuckled.

"Seems like you've got a match for your speed, Haku."

"Indeed, Zabuza-San."

Haku charged forwards, as did Naruto. Trench knife met Senbon as they tested each other's strength before spinning around, trying to find an opening in the other's defence. Neither of them found one, so they clashed again. And again. Finally, Naruto blocked Haku's senbon with one hand.

"Now that I have one of your hands occupied, I am at an advantage. The first part was the water from the clones littering the ground. This is the second part."

Naruto watched in amazement as the boy started doing one handed seals. The water rose up, forming a dome of water drops, which turned into water senbon. They froze and hovered ominously around Naruto.

"This is it."

Haku sent the ice senbon into Naruto, making a cloud of fine mortar like dust cover Naruto and Haku. Tazuna gasped but Shikamaru, Chouji and Kurenai smiled. When the dust cleared, Naruto had a knife to Haku's neck. Haku turned around to try and block the knife, but Naruto kicked Haku in the back, sending him sprawling. Zabuza sighed.

"You know you're going to get beaten like this, Haku."

"I know, Zabuza-San."

Haku got up and looked at Naruto. Naruto felt the air around him drop at least 10 degrees so he discretely replaced himself with a Kage Bunshin he had been keeping out of the fight in case something like this happened. The water around the clone began forming panels which promptly froze and formed a barrier of mirrors. Haku melted into one of the mirrors and appeared in all of them.

"This is my true speed. There is no way you can match this."

The clone just sighed, hoping this jutsu would work like it was supposed to. He forced his chakra into his inner most coils and concentrated. He let it all free in an instant, turning the clone into a living bomb. The mirrors shattered and Haku was sent flying. Everyone looked at Naruto in fascination of the jutsu. The real Naruto appeared beside Shikamaru.

"Kage Bunshin Daibakuha."

Kurenai smiled at Naruto, amazed with his progress. Zabuza saw this distraction and held Kurenai around the neck. Naruto looked in horror as Kurenai gasped. He was strangling her.

"Not a good trade, was it? A pawn for a queen. You lose, brat."

Zabuza stabbed Kurenai in the stomach with a kunai and threw her to the side like a piece of trash. Naruto reappeared beside Kurenai, who was breathing sharply and blood poured out of her stomach. She looked at Naruto in pain, sorrow and regret.

"I'm sorry... Naruto..."

"Don't... You can't... Not yet..."

Kurenai painfully raised a hand to Naruto's face, brushing her hand against it.

"I'm sorry... Naruto..."

With that, Kurenai fell limp, as good as dead. Naruto's emotions stopped. He was staring as the last vestiges of life of the one and only woman he would ever love slip away. Zabuza laughed.

"First death, brat? Get used to it."

Naruto lowered his head and hugged Kurenai to him, willing her to come back to life. The body remained motionless as Zabuza turned to the others.

"Now that she's dead, you lot will die just as easily."

"**Shut up."**

Zabuza, as well as everyone else stopped at the voice. They turned back to its source to see blood red chakra pouring out of Naruto. Zabuza stared at Naruto in a mixture of fascination and horror.

"**You killed her, you bastard. You have no idea how much she meant to me! I'll kill you! HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

The chakra exploded off Naruto, making everyone stumble back at the sheer magnitude of it. Even the water of the river sent shockwaves out from Naruto's position above it while the bridge around Naruto began cracking and buckling under him. When Naruto turned to face Zabuza, everyone's blood ran cold. Naruto's eyes were no longer the calm blue they were used to. They were blood red and they screamed bloody murder. Naruto's hair was no longer neat; it had a very feral quality to it. The chakra around Naruto began to form a single helix and then condensed about ten meters above him, forming the face of a fox. The chakra subsided and Naruto hunched over. Tears spilling from his eyes.

"**You think you're a demon? You're just a pathetic piece of trash! Why don't you find out what a true demon can do! Ha!"**

Naruto thrust his fist forward, sending a wave of rock and dust at Zabuza, blinding him before Naruto charged in, and landing a sickening combo to Zabuza's face, chest and stomach ending with a kick to the chin, which sent him flying back. Zabuza landed in time to see Naruto jump down from on top, slamming into Zabuza's head with both fists, sending Zabuza straight through the bridge and into the water below. Naruto let out a primal roar of anguish, fury and hatred. He jumped off the side of the bridge and proceeded to beat Zabuza to a pulp. Every time Zabuza managed to cast a jutsu to try and keep the boy at bay, Naruto just ran full force into it and blew the jutsu to pieces and kept going as if nothing impeded him. Zabuza quickly realised that this kid was going to kill him, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Naruto proceeded to slash and hack Zabuza to pieces before he went in for the killing blow. However, it didn't land, at least, not on its expected target. Haku had jumped in to take the blow for Zabuza from an ice mirror. Naruto's hand went straight through the boy's chest while Haku grabbed Naruto's hand to try and keep him there. Naruto growled in frustration as he ripped his arm out of Haku and threw him to the side, concentrating on his main target. Naruto decided a modified version of the Omote Renge would suit the situation just fine. He disappeared and kicked Zabuza by the chin straight up, making him crash through another place in the bridge. When Naruto jumped back up, he saw that Zabuza was dieing, and there was no chance to survive. Naruto walked up to him, lifting up the man by the belt that held his sword to his back.

"**A pawn and the king for a queen. In terms of Shougi, we won. However, I'm going to make sure you feel the pain I am. I'm going to break your heart."**

Naruto reached his fist back, and began charging chakra to it before he shoved his hand straight through Zabuza's chest making the man drop dead in Naruto's arm. Naruto threw Zabuza over the side. Now, with the object of his rage dead, Naruto's real senses started returning. His eyes turned from red to blue and the red chakra stopped as he fell to his knees and began sobbing. Everyone became aware of some laughing from the incomplete end of the bridge. They turned to see a large group of thugs as well as a fat man with one arm in plaster laughing.

"I always thought Zabuza was nothing but a kawaii little demon. Seeing your fight with him, I'm convinced of it. Oh well, I was going to kill him after he had done his job anyway. Hiring ninja from villages is too expensive, and they tend to speak out against the type of work I give them, so renegade Nins like Zabuza and his pet are perfect. Then, when I'm finished with them, I just let them wear each other out fighting normal ninja while these guys take care of the rest. It's a great-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence as an arrow lodged itself in his forehead, making him drop to the ground, dead. Naruto turned to see Inari and the entire Wave village with all sorts of makeshift weapons.

"You won't take another step closer to this village! If you hurt another one of our friends, we'll stop you with everything we have!"

The villagers raised their weapons in the air, giving a roar of approval. The thugs were indecisive now. Naruto decided to tip the scales further in their favour. He had only a little chakra left, as using the Kyuubi's chakra was tiring to say the least. Naruto formed about thirty Kage Bunshins with the last of his chakra and the thugs decided it was a good time to take a hike. Most of them scrambled down the net that their boat was connected to, or the more impatient ones just dived off. Naruto dispelled the clones and he fell to his knees. He then remembered Kurenai and forced himself to go and check on her. Just as he got there, he collapsed; the last of his chakra expended and entered a deep sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A Few Days Later:**

Naruto awoke in a bed inside an unfamiliar place. Naruto tried to get his bearings before he recalled the events of the bridge. He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with fear.

"Kurenai-Chan!"

Naruto looked around to see a man looking at him with shock. The man came and checked up on him.

"Are you alright, Naruto-San? You should have been out for quite a few more days-"

Naruto ripped the bed covers off and started looking around frantically.

"Where is she?"

"Naruto, keep it down, this is a hospital..."

Naruto froze. He went pulled the curtain out of the way that separated his bed from the next and saw Kurenai laying there with a mildly irritated look on her face. Not thinking, Naruto lunged and grabbed her into a hug, much to the dismay of the doctor.

"Kurenai-Chan!"

Kurenai froze and Naruto realised that her stomach was still quite tender, so he got off her, grinning sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Gomenasai, Sensei..."

Kurenai smiled at Naruto.

"Don't worry, Naruto. We just don't have your rate of healing."

Naruto smiled again as both Shikamaru and Chouji came into the room. Chouji was munching on a bag of chips while Shikamaru made their presence known.

"What's all this troublesome noise?"

Definitely no surprises there. The doctor gave Naruto and Kurenai a final check up before exiting the room. All of them sat around Kurenai's bed, a heavy tension in the air. Finally, Naruto sighed.

"I guess I owe you guys an explanation."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow.

"Think they can handle the truth, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at her, then at each of the other two. Naruto decided to make them guess by providing the barest facts.

"I've told you that my birthday is October 10th, right?"

They both nodded.

"I'm the same age as you two are."

Chouji nodded again, not understanding where this was going. Shikamaru on the other hand, had a fairly good idea.

"Naruto, could you show us your face?"

Naruto sighed. No going back now. Naruto pulled down the face mask to show the others his three whisker marks on each cheek. Shikamaru nodded in understanding.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the Kyuubi, would it?"

Naruto nodded and pulled the mask back up.

"That's right. On the day I was born, the Kyuubi was defeated. Not, killed, defeated. His soul was ripped out of his body and he was sealed inside a new born infant. Me."

Shikamaru nodded slowly as did Chouji. Now, the tidbits Naruto had given them on his past all made sense. The orphanage, the beatings, why his birthday was the worst day of the year. Naruto looked at them with eyes full of desperation. Shikamaru sighed.

"You're so troublesome, Naruto."

Naruto saw Shikamaru smiling and Chouji offered him the bag of chips.

"I don't care if you're the container; you're still the Naruto we've always known. Just remind me not to get you angry, ok?"

The four of them laughed at the joke. This had gone down far better than Naruto could have ever hoped for. As they stopped laughing, Naruto turned serious again.

"Even though you know, this information is considered an S rank secret. You two aren't even supposed to know. Not even what my face looks like."

They both nodded in understanding, while Shikamaru muttered his signature word 'troublesome' again.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Nearly a Week Later:**

Kurenai had been cleared from hospital, or the medical shack, in this instance and they had showed up at the bridge to see that it was now completed. Tazuna and the rest of the villagers were there to see them off. Tazuna smiled at them.

"You guys were super. Thanks to you, the bridge is now complete, Gatoh is dead and we can get our lives back on track. We don't know how we can repay you..."

Naruto smiled.

"Just make the Wave Country into something that won't waste the effort we went through."

Naruto looked at Inari who was trying to hold back the tears. Naruto smiled at him.

"Inari, just because you said you wouldn't cry anymore doesn't mean you can't cry because you're happy. Remember, a ninja who keeps their emotions suppressed at all times is no longer human."

Inari smiled at Naruto.

"It's ok for you to cry too!"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah."

They said their final goodbyes and Team 8 began their trek back to Konoha. One of the people beside Tazuna looked at him.

"Tazuna-San, we still haven't named the bridge yet."

Tazuna smiled.

"You're right. I think we should call it the Great Naruto Bridge. Naruto changed the heart of Inari, and he changed the hearts of the villagers."

Everyone agreed that the name was perfect and so they went back to rebuilding their lives.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** YATTA! Another chapter done. Next chapter will kick off the Chuunin Exams. No REAL A/N to put down here. Well, until next time my avid readers!

Ja ne,

Specula.


	3. Chuunin Exams Part 1

**A/N:** Yo! I'll start writing another chappie again. Knowing the routine I'm slipping into, I'll probably have it finished by sometime tomorrow afternoon. BTW, I kinda got an idea for a completely new jutsu for Naruto. It's kind of a cross between Neji's 128 divine strikes and Tenten's twin rising dragon jutsus. I'm pretty sure I got the name right, but any corrections would be appreciated. As a final note, this is going to be by FAR the longest chapter yet. So, during the prelims, the match ups that appear in canon will be introduced, but not played out. The only exception will be the Hyuuga Neji VS Hyuuga Hinata fight. The results will still be announced, but I don't feel like doing all that extra work.

Shikamaru: Mendokusei...

Exactly, Shikamaru. Couldn't have put it better myself.

Comments/Suggestions/Questions:

**Fan Fiction Section:**

**fabarati:** Yeah, that's what I meant. There are two good NaruxKure authors here. Not including me, but I haven't proved yet that I am. Another few chapters and I might start to consider myself one. The majority of NaruxKure fics on this site are under 10k words and from what I can make out, are all one shots. If there's any type of fic I hate almost as much as Yaoi, it's a one shot. One shot's have a shallow story line. I prefer longer, more involved story lines. I'm not going to make Kurenai see Naruto as a potential love interest yet. After he comes back from his trip with Jiraiya, then yes, I will make her see him as one. Hazzah for the Strong Arm Alchemist! _'Rips off his shirt and flexes'_

**BountyHunterAWL:** Hmm. Well, to tell you the truth, I really don't like fics where Naruto becomes a heart breaking, wooing girls, sleep with them and move on. I personally think that's way to shallow for Naruto with any sort of personality except a thug, and I REALLY hate Naruto as a thug. It's demeaning. You know, I was actually mixing elements of the Sasu/Naru fight at the valley of the end into that fight. I'm surprised no one's noticed.

**demon-sword:** Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed that up as soon as I saw your review. As for the mental instability, this chapter provides answers.

**Dragon Noir:** Well, I answered your questions in a review reply, so if you check your email, you should have it.

**Akalon:** Well, I was thinking of putting Naruto into the Star Wars Galaxy about the time of eps 4, 5 & 6. Yeah, that's right, Naruto meets Luke & Co. I was thinking of the interactions between Chewie and Naruto. Now THAT would be funny. Thanks for picking me up on the typos. Sometimes, I get into and out of a habit of typing a particular word incorrectly. For example this chapter I always wrote 'Temari' as 'Temari' before I went back and changed it after I wrote the rest of the sentence.

**Antiassasinguy:** Hmm, you're right; it did come out a bit rushed. I had intended for the kiss to be a reward for having maturity and intelligence highly uncommon for someone his age. As for the genre, I was kind of wondering why this site only allows two Genres while others such a Media Miner allow like 6. So, a General is kinda like everything rolled into one, huh? Thanks for the advice. As for the smart Naruto, I think this chapter will prove just how smart he really is. The only person I like 'bashing' is Sakura. I REALLY hate her. I'm trying to refrain from Naruto chewing her out. It's, hard, but I should be able to.

**firareth3:** Yeah, Sasuke's still going to defect. The main reason he defected was because he was intimidated by Naruto's progress. He has all the more reason to be intimidated now.

**All Hail Chibi-Itachi:** Nope, Sarutobi is the Sandiame's surname. There was a hint in a recent chapter that Asuma is Sandiame's son, meaning that Konohamaru is Asuma's son. Also, when Asuma recommended his team for the Chuunin exams, he identified himself as 'Sarutobi Asuma'. As for where I translate jutsu names, it depends. If the Jutsu exist in either canon or 'fanon', meaning the original story or fillers/movies, I go to Wikipedia. It had a list of every single jutsu from the series. As for my own jutsus, after many years of searching the internet for some sort of free translating device that doesn't give shoddy answers, I came across what I believe is the single best one on the net. It's accurate, and gives alternatives, letting you translate both ways. However, a lot of the more complex words like 'twin rising dragons' are not in there, so you have to divide the words and use them separately. Apart from that, it's practically flawless. I'll put the link up on my profile.

**Kyuubi-Sama:** No, no growing tails for Naruto this time. And no fusing with Kyuubi either. I did those in my other two story lines.

**cutepuplover: **Heh, well, I'm not doing much else at the moment, and I did those two chapters in the space of about 32 hours. The chapters were 30 A4 pages each, give or take a page.

**full-metal-sousuke:** Yeah, Naruto's going to do both of those. Naruto's going to learn more than just Kuchiyose no Jutsu and Rasengan. I'm going to teach him Yondaime's version of Shushin no Jutsu, and get him started on Hiraishin no Jutsu.

**omnikaze: **As I said to someone last chapter, from here on out, it's all original. I've enabled non user reviews.

**hoyt: **You know what? Just for that, I'm going to go back the Return of the Bijus last. I want to kill people who try and send me on a guilt trip. My parent's have done it to me all my life and I feel like strangling them when they pull an 'I'm so badly done by' on me.

**Adis:** Sorry, but I've got to progress with this story carefully if I want it to work. I can't just have Kurenai just appear one day and make out with Naruto. That would ruin the entire fic. Patience, young Pad wan.

**cokeboi:** I'm not going to answer either of those questions until you read the latest manga issues and this fic again CAREFULLY. The answer to both questions are located there.

**Media Miner Section:**

**Rydeon:** Glad you like them.

**Dustin Imthurn dog demon:** Thanks for the review and rating. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Three:

Chuunin Exams Part One:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Weeks After the Wave:**

Team Eight had made it back and reported the entire mission in great detail to the Hokage, much to the chagrin of the old man. After the team had been dismissed, the Hokage asked that Naruto remained behind. Naruto did as he was asked.

"Naruto, now that you've revealed the secret to your team mates, I want you to stick to the law for everyone else. Not until they've reached the rank of Jounin are they permitted to know. Understood?"

Naruto nodded.

"Sure thing old man."

The old man sighed as he took a puff of his pipe before telling Naruto the next part of why he detained him here.

"Naruto, the secret is far too deadly to be let out. Although it pains me to do this, I'm authorising you to use any force you deem necessary to stop the spread of the rumour. I trust both of your team mates, but with the times ahead, I would not be surprised if word somehow got out. The only thing I can compensate for this is turning this into an on going S rank mission."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I guess I could take it..."

The old man spoke to Naruto for a few moments more before dismissing him, asking that he report to the hospital for psychological testing to make sure that his mind was still stable after killing both of his targets on the mission.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**About a Week Later:**

The nurses at the hospital quickly made sure that Naruto was ok, providing a minor medical healing jutsu to help his mind recover before discharging him. Since then, Naruto had been training and trying to constantly improve himself. 6 days after they got back, Kurenai had appeared with three slips of paper.

"Morning boys. To get straight to the point, I've nominated you three for the Chuunin exams. Just sign the forms and turn up at room 301 at the academy by 4pm tomorrow. Until then, you're dismissed."

Kurenai 'poof'ed out of existence while Shikamaru looked over his form.

"Mendokusei..."

Naruto smiled at Shikamaru.

"Everything's troublesome for you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed. While Chouji opened a packet of chips, sharing them around as they went off to sign the forms and discuss the possibilities of the exam.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day, 2 pm:**

Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji were walking towards the academy when they heard a yell, so they went to check it out. When they got there, they saw a pair of Suna Nin, a guy and a girl, facing off against three academy graduates. The male Suna Nin was holding one boy up by the collar, who was trying desperately to get free. The female sighed.

"If anything happens, I'm not taking the blame."

The black clad ninja smirked and drew his hand back for the punch when he felt three people staring at him from behind. He turned around to see three Konoha Genins staring at him.

"What do you three want?"

Naruto looked lazily at the boy.

"We want you to put him down."

The boy smirked.

"Are you going to make me?"

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

Naruto shrugged.

"For once, I agree with you, Shikamaru."

Kankuro was aware that the blonde masked kid was no longer with his friends, but directly behind him, holding a very sharp weapon to his throat. The Suna Nin and the three academy students hadn't even seen the boy move.

"Put him down. Now."

Kankuro dropped the kid, who fell on his butt. Kankuro was unfastening the straps of the object on his back when Naruto became aware of a very disturbing aura very close by.

"Kankuro, stop. You're a disgrace to our village."

"But Gaara, they started it-"

"I don't care. Shut up or I'll kill you."

Both the black clad boy and the girl seemed to flinch at this, while the red head turned to Naruto.

"I apologise for his actions."

Naruto dismissed it.

"No problem. Only a few egos were bruised, nothing too bad."

Gaara's eyes narrowed at Naruto.

"I'm interested in you. Who are you?"

Naruto looked at the boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto. And you are?"

"Sabaku no Gaara."

Naruto nodded.

"I see. I look forward to seeing you in the Chuunin exams, Gaara."

"As do I, Uzumaki Naruto."

Gaara used Shushin to disappear, leaving the rest of them to clean up. Naruto turned to the boy who Kankuro had been about to knock out.

"You alright?"

The boy nodded slowly.

"Well, I'll catch you around. By the way, I don't think I've seen you before. What's your name?"

The boy's eyes lightened up.

"Konohamaru."

Naruto smiled at the boy.

"Nice to meet you, Konohamaru. Unfortunately, I can't stay for too long, I have to go and take the Chuunin exams with my friends."

Konohamaru nodded and got back up, staring in awe at the first person who had ever called him by his name except his grandfather. Naruto turned to the two Suna Nin.

"Could I get your names?"

The boy nodded.

"Kankuro."

The girl flushed slightly as she answered.

"Temari."

Naruto nodded to each of them.

"Well, Kankuro-San, Temari-San. Good luck in the exam."

Chouji and Shikamaru caught up with Naruto as they got the academy, waiting for the doors to open. Team 8 took this time to survey the potential opponents. They quickly dismissed the ones who bragged about themselves to their teams and others and instead paid attention to the teams either talking quietly amongst themselves or who said nothing at all. Finally, the doors were opened and the teams made their way inside. After walking up two flights of stairs, they needed to change to another stairwell to get up to the final floor. However, Naruto's Genjutsu senses were tingling as he saw what it was. Two people under rather decent Henge's for the Genin they were posing as were guarding a door that was apparently '301' but Naruto could tell, not just by the shoddy Genjutsu around it, but from the fact they had only gone up two flights of stairs. The Genin tried to go past the pair, only to be shoved back by the Genin. Naruto realised what was happening immediately. They were trying to weed out the truly weak ones from even taking the first test. Naruto was fine by that as he kept his team walking. However, one particular Uchiha happened to do something fairly stupid.

"It's nice to see you're guarding, but aren't you guarding the wrong room? This is only the second level, not the third. Drop the Genjutsu."

People started murmuring amongst themselves as Naruto slapped his forehead. Naruto could feel the Genjutsu being undone and after a small fight between the 'Genin' guarding the door and Sasuke, which Lee put an end too, Naruto turned back to the others. Naruto called out lazily to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you do realise what that Genjutsu was meant to do, right?"

All eyes turned to the boy.

"Yeah. It was meant to stop us from getting to 301."

Naruto nodded.

"Exactly. If you had noticed it, why didn't you just lead your team past it and keep going? We could have gotten rid of all of these guys here before the first test, cutting a huge portion of the examiners off before we have to begin the test."

Sasuke hated to admit it, but Naruto's logic was impeccable, as always. Lee's eyes caught fire as he rushed up to his 'rival'.

"Naruto-Kun! Your fires of youth are burning as bright as ever! You are indeed my eternal rival!"

Naruto smiled, translating it for himself as 'You're looking well.'

"Hey, Lee. How's Gai-Sensei?"

Lee did a nice guy pose to help illustrate his point.

"Gai-Sensei's spring time of youth is an example to us all!"

Naruto translated this in his own mind to 'he's great'. After a bit more friendly banter, Tenten and Neji walked up.

"Hi Tenten. Neji."

Both of them greeted him in their usual manner, Tenten smiling and Neji giving a nod in his direction. Both teams walked down the corridor together followed by Team 7, up the stairwell and down the final corridor to the real 301. Once they pushed open the doors, they were acutely aware of the entire room with their gaze on them. Team Gai ignored the gazes taking a free seat. Team 8 just stood there, sizing up the people in the room. The doors burst open and Team Seven came in, Ino and Sakura having one of their all too frequent arguments again, but they stopped when they felt the atmosphere of the room. Naruto smiled of them.

"Glad to see you made it as well."

They all nodded and they turned as Kiba rather loudly introduced the presence of his team coming through the door.

"Naruto! Chouji! Shikamaru! It's been a while since I've seen you three!"

Naruto smiled at Kiba.

"Hey Kiba. Shino. Hinata."

The three nodded in Naruto's direction. Naruto looked at Akamaru.

"How's Akamaru, Kiba?"

The dog gave a happy bark.

"Great."

Naruto pulled out a piece of dried meat and flicked it at Akamaru who caught it expertly in his mouth. Kiba smiled at Naruto when Naruto felt someone coming up to them on the right.

"Why don't you lot grasp the atmosphere? Screaming like a bunch of school girls, jeez."

Naruto looked at the silver haired bespectacled guy lazily.

"We already did. Is it a crime to catch up with old friends?"

The boy smiled at him.

"Not really, but there's a better time to do it. Anyway, there are a lot of powerful people here. Many of who have taken the exam before. I've taken the exam before as well."

Naruto looked at the man.

"How many times?"

"7."

Naruto nodded.

"You seem to have a purpose for coming here apart from the whole 'grasp the atmosphere thing'."

The boy nodded.

"How about I give some tips to my cute underclassmen?"

Kabuto reached into his ninja pouch and took out a deck of cards.

"I've collected information on a lot of the exam's entrants and burnt the information onto these cards with my chakra."

Kabuto pulled the top one off, but it was blank. Sakura, being the 'smart' one, pointed out the obvious.

"Kabuto-San, how could those have information on them? They're blank!"

Naruto shook his head.

"A Genjutsu of Fuuinjutsu of some kind."

Kabuto nodded in agreement. He put his finger to the card and began swivelling it around before a small puff of smoke covered the card. Once it cleared, the card was no longer blank. In fact, it had a map of the world overlayed with a three dimensional bar graph. Almost everyone looked at the card in wonder as Kabuto explained.

"This shows the number of participants each country has sent. I have information on all of the people attending this exam. The only unfortunate thing is that I have practically no information on the three from the Hidden Sound. This is the first team they've sent to an exam, so I haven't had the chance to find out much about them."

Sasuke saw his chance.

"Can you show us some?"

Kabuto looked at him.

"Any in particular?"

"Three. Rock Lee, Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto."

Kabuto put the first card away and picked the deck up.

"This will be easy since you know their names."

Kabuto swiped the deck, pulling out three cards. He fanned them out and began channelling chakra into one of them.

"First, Uzumaki-"

Naruto ripped the card out from under him as soon as the chakra revealed the information. Naruto began scanning it. He couldn't risk the secret getting out, so he ripped through it, finding the information to be startlingly accurate. He even found 'it' in there. He smiled.

"You're good. The fact that a certain something is in here proves you're either very nosey with friends in high places, or you're not a Genin."

Naruto shoved some chakra into the card and deleted the offending passage handing the card back. Sasuke smirked.

"Scared of us finding out something, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled lazily; however, his insiders were in total turmoil.

"Not for me, but for you. I have authorisation to use what ever force I deem necessary to stop that piece of information getting out by the Hokage himself. Normally, the offending person would be put to death immediately."

This caught EVERYONE'S attention. Naruto smiled as he looked at Kabuto.

"Read the card."

Kabuto went back to reading the card.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Taichou of Team 8 of the Konoha Rookies. His team mates are Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji. Their Jounin Sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai. He graduated from the academy earlier this year with a perfect record, earning him the title of Rookie of the Year. His Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Armed Taijutsu abilities are off the charts, making him high Chuunin level to low Jounin level. It's rumoured that he also has a knack for Fuuinjutsu, making him the first academy graduate in 14 years to have learnt how to make his own seal scrolls and explosive notes before he even left the academy. His family or clan abilities are a complete mystery, due to the severe shortage of knowledge of his blood family. He has also invented his own Taijutsu style, called the Kageken. Out of all the examinees here, Naruto's Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Armed Taijutsu abilities are unmatched by anyone, but his regular Taijutsu is about equal to Rock Lee's of Konoha. Missions completed include 8 D class, whoa, one C class which was apparently a disguised upper A rank mission and even an ongoing S class. It seems that apart from chakra exhaustion on the C rank mission, Naruto has come back from all his missions completely unscathed."

Naruto smiled at him.

"The fact that only myself and my Jounin Senseis know the full extent of my abilities makes me wonder exactly who you are."

By now, the majority of the room were quaking in their boots at this boy. Even with his abilities, coming back from an A rank mission completely unharmed suffering from only chakra exhaustion? This kid was scary. Kabuto put the card away and activated another card. This was Rock Lee.

"Rock Lee. Member of Team Gai. He's one year older than all of you. Team mates are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten. Their Jounin Sensei is Maito Gai. Rock Lee's Ninjutsu and Genjutsu abilities are non existent as are his family or clan jutsus, but his Taijutsu both long range and short are about equal to Uzumaki Naruto's. Mission dossier records show he has completed 20 D rank and 12 C rank missions."

Kabuto felt a kunai pressing against his neck. It was held by the hand of Naruto. No one in the room had seen him move.

"I knew it. Apart from his team and me, no one has that much detailed information on Lee. Only four people apart from myself know the full extent of my abilities, all of them have been my Sensei's for the past 7 years and who I am close friends with. You're not a Genin. Your chakra capacity is far too massive for you to even be a Chuunin. The fact that you knew about a certain something gives me permission to slit your throat here and now."

Naruto looked to the front of the room in time to see an explosion of smoke and a booming voice reached the Genin.

"Uzumaki, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Naruto smiled lazily at Ibiki.

"Just doing a mission, Ibiki-San."

Ibiki scowled at Naruto.

"You can complete the 'mission' later. This is a good a time as any to say this, so let me make one thing clear. There will be fighting in this exam, however, you will not engage another person unless given express permission by an examiner. Even then, killing unless also permitted is forbidden. Pigs who go against my rule will be failed immediately, understood?"

Now the Genin had completely forgotten about Naruto and were completely transfixed by the man in front of them. Ibiki held up a tab with the number one on it.

"All of you will approach the examiners with your three application forms. Once your Genin cell has been marked off, take one number from this box. That number is the seat you will use during this part of the exam. Once you are all seated, we will begin handing out the papers."

Everyone handed in their application forms, got a numbered tab and was assigned a seat. Once everyone was seated, the examiners began placing the tests face down on the desk. Once that had been done, Ibiki started tapping the piece of chalk against the board.

"I will now explain the rules of this test. Listen carefully, as I'm not going to repeat it and I will not answer questions. Rule one: Each of you will start with 10 points. This test works via a subtraction method of marking. For example, if you answer one question wrong, you get a single point deducted. Five questions wrong and you lose half your points. Rule two: The overall pass/fail is determined not by your individual scores, but by the combined score of your team. Rule three: If you are found to be conducting any suspicious activity that could be associated with cheating, you will have two points deducted. Meaning, even if you get all the answers right, but get caught five times, you fail. This isn't so much a rule as the result of what will happen should someone fail. Until the third part of the exam, everything relies on teamwork. If one of you fails, so does the other two members of your team. This test will be done in the space of an hour. At the forty five minute mark, I will give you the tenth question, regardless of whether or not you have completed the rest of them. Now, BEGIN!"

No one failed to hesitate with the order and turned the pages over. Naruto smirked. Why did this situation seem so familiar? Probably from the Graduation written test. These questions were much harder to answer than your average Genin should be able to answer. Naruto sighed. The purpose of this test was to cheat. Since he didn't have much to cheat with, he decided to use his own head to write the answers. Naruto was aware of three other people writing with him, namely two nobodies and Haruno Sakura which was quickly joined by three more, both Hyuugas and Sasuke, who had their bloodline limits engaged. After Naruto answered the first nine questions, he sat back. Naruto felt the familiar chakra of Shikamaru reaching out with his Kagemane and take hold of Chouji, writing the answers to the test on his paper. After a while, Naruto saw one of the examiners throw a kunai straight past his head, which he leant out of the way of and heard a _'thunk_' behind him. Naruto looked around to see that the kunai had pierced the exam paper of the Genin behind him. The boy stood up.

"Wha... What's the meaning of this?"

The examiner smirked.

"I've caught you cheating five times. You fail. Get your team mates and get out."

Two other Genins, non too happy with their team-mate got up and left along with the one that had caused them to fail. Straight away, another examiner spoke.

"Number 23, fail. Numbers 43 and 27 fail."

The three got up. After that, a steady stream of Genin were caught and left the room. By the time the announcement of the tenth question came around, the overall number had been reduced to just over one hundred. Ibiki strode to the front of the room and turned to face the Genin.

"Now, it's time for the tenth question. However, before I give it to you, I need to know whether you will even take it."

The Genin started murmuring as Ibiki continued with the explanation.

"If you chose not to take it, you and your team mates will be failed immediately, HOWEVER, if you do decide to take it and get it wrong, you will have the privilege of taking this exam stripped permanently!"

Everyone started crying out in disbelief. Kiba was the loudest.

"What kind of a stupid rule is that? There are people here who've taken this exam before!"

Ibiki laughed heartlessly.

"That's true; however, when they took this exam, I wasn't the examiner. Seems you lot are out of luck. However, the rules have been stated. Will you, or will you not take it? If you are uncertain as to your abilities, you should quit now and try again next time. Raise your hand if you don't want to suffer the consequences."

For a moment, no one did anything. However, the man next to Naruto raised his hand.

"I won't take it!"

An examiner marked off him and his two team mates as they left the room. This set off a chain reaction. At least 5 more people raised their hand and they were marked off along with their team mates. Finally, there were 78 people left in the room. 80 if you included the 'plants' as they were called. Ibiki looked around the room.

"Will anyone else give up? This decision will change your life."

People in Naruto's general vicinity became aware of his chuckling, which turned into full blown laughter. Everyone stared at Naruto in disbelief. Naruto looked at Ibiki, smirking.

"I don't know about the others in this room, but your act isn't scaring me. I have absolute confidence in myself and both of my team mates that we will answer this question perfectly. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander. Get on with the question."

Ibiki sighed. Naruto had blown the fear and uncertainty of every single Genin in the room away and LAUGHED at him to boot. Ibiki looked around and confirmed what he had thought and felt. Ibiki tried one last time.

"This is your final chance. Will any of you give up?"

Naruto smiled at him.

"We're not afraid."

It was clear that no one was going to budge until they had passed the exam, so Ibiki sighed.

"Then, for the first test of the Chuunin exams... You all PASS."

Every one of the Genins except Naruto stopped and tried to work out exactly what he had meant. Naruto smiled and shook his head.

"I was kind of expecting something like this from you, Ibiki-San. Let me guess, the 'take or not take' was the 10th question?"

Ibiki smiled at Naruto.

"Exactly. The '10th question' was the choice of taking a life altering decision or not. The first nine questions severed the purpose of testing your information gathering abilities. I'm sure there were some of you who could work out the answers for yourselves, but the majority of you would have realised straight away that this was not your average paper test and came to the conclusion 'I have to cheat to pass'. Most of you would have also realised, there is 80 people left in the room, which would imply that there's something wrong. We had two Chuunin planted in the room to be the sources of the answers for your cheating attempts. Those of you who cheated like amateurs were weeded out. They won't survive the next stage of the exam with that kind of effort. Now, the 10th question. Once we had separated the wheat from the chaff, I put you in a hopeless situation. Take or not take. Either choice had dire consequences. Not take it and fail immediately. Take it and get it wrong, and never take it again. Let's put this into a real life situation. Let's go with the scenario that all of you become Chuunin. A Chuunin is a squad leader who is responsible for handling the mission and his team's lives. You arrive at the mission centre along with your squad and receive a mission. You are to infiltrate an enemy facility and steal a scroll. The number of ninja, their state of preparedness, armaments, jutsus and skill are unknown. Can you just decline the mission, because the content of the mission is unknown, enchaining today's certainty with tomorrow's uncertainty? The answer is NO! As a Chuunin, there will be missions you will not have a choice in. Information can be more important than a Kage's life in some situations. What if that scroll contained information about another village planning to invade your own? If you obtain the information carelessly, it is likely that the enemy will feed you false information that could cost many people their lives. People who do not have the resolve to go through with missions are pigs who don't deserve the right to become Chuunin! THERE ARE NO WEAK SOLDIERS UNDER A VALIANT COMMANDER!"

Naruto had joined Ibiki with the last line to emphasise his previous point. Ibiki smiled at Naruto.

"Congratulations to every one of you. I wish you the best of luck."

Both Ibiki and Naruto became aware of a dark ball just before it came crashing through the window. The black ball unfurled itself to reveal a woman in a beige trench coat, purple hair, fishnet shirt and metal leg plates. She introduced herself in a rather loud manner.

"There's no time to celebrate! I'm the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko! Follow me, everyone!"

The majority of people in the room sweat dropped as Naruto smiled.

"Hi there, Anko-San. Haven't seen you in a while."

Anko looked at Naruto, smiling in that sadistic fashion we all love to hate.

"Well well, if it isn't little Naruto. I'm really not surprised that there's 78 people left with you in here. Another one of your speeches?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he continued smiling. Ibiki came around the side of the banner that Anko had erected, looking slightly peeved.

"Can't you grasp the atmosphere, Anko?"

Anko smiled sheepishly before turning back to the Genin.

"Despite the fact that there's so many of you left, by the end of the next exam, there will be less than half of you remaining. Report to training area 44 at 9 am sharp tomorrow morning! Until then, you are dismissed!"

The remaining Genin teams got up and left, preparing for whatever might come with the next test. Naruto led his team to his house, in the hope of some tidbits of info from his Aniki. Ibiki started collecting the papers. When he got to Naruto's he saw that, not surprisingly, the entire test was answered. However, seeing a note at the bottom, he checked it.

_'Ibiki-San. The 'mission' I was about to complete involved the Sandaime's Law, which was about to be breached by that boy. Watch him carefully. He's not who he says he is. U.N.'_

Ibiki scowled at this. He was definitely going to be checking the boy out. He'd already had his suspicions from past exams, but having them backed up by Naruto just proved it. This boy was going be watched very carefully.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Naruto's Apartment:**

When Naruto arrived home, Kakashi was there, reading one of his favourite orange books. Naruto didn't recognise this one.

"New book in the series, Niisan?"

Kakashi looked up.

"Yeah."

Naruto shook his head as he led his team inside. Kakashi snapped the book shut and put it on the arm rest of the seat he was in. Kakashi chuckled.

"News of your antics in the first part of the exam travel fast, Naruto. I suppose you want some hints for the second one?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well, the first is always a written, the second is always a field test and the last is always a tournament. The second test has the most variation out of all of the tests. However, since it's in training area 44, I have a feeling it's a several day mission."

Chouji looked horrified while Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

"What are we supposed to do for food?"

Naruto got an idea. He looked to Kakashi.

"Niisan, can I have some summoning scrolls?"

Kakashi smiled lazily.

"Sure. 2 each. Those things aren't exactly cheap, you know."

Naruto smiled back at Kakashi, mirroring his lazy smile.

"Thanks, Niisan."

Naruto led his team to the supply closet, which was packed with all sorts of ninja goodies. Weapons, explosive notes, scrolls, the lot. Naruto went to a particular shelf and skimmed along some scrolls until he found a group of navy blue scrolls. Pulling them out, he placed them on the ground and closed the door with his foot. Naruto opened one particular scroll and showed them it.

"This is a multiple summon scroll. Basically with this you're able to summon just about anything excluding animals that require a contract to summon and a few other things. Some versions of them can even summon people. However, once it's summoned, that part of the scroll can not be reused. For example, if you brought a basket of food, Chouji, I could perform a jutsu that would seal it inside one of these circles and when you wanted to, you could make the basket of food pop straight back into existence in front of you."

Chouji looked at the scroll like it was a gift from Kami himself. Chouji could certainly use something like one of these on long missions. Naruto looked up at both of them.

"I want both of you to go to your places and get anything and everything you think you'll need for a week long mission. Meet back here and I'll do the sealing."

Both boys nodded and headed out the door to get there things. Naruto was suddenly struck by an idea. He went back to the closet and pulled out a black special summoning scroll that was used to hold a mass of weapons and procured his wind powered trench knives. Naruto knew that while weapons were sealed, they were essentially maintained in stasis until brought back to the real world. Also, if he could create Kage Bunshins of his blades, they should also be kept in stasis without him having to worry about them. He had learnt Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu several months ago. The next part of his theory was that since making any kind Bunshin relied on creating a copy of the original, and since Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu allowed the user to create clones of another object, it should be theoretically possible to do the same for any object. However, Shuriken were an obvious first target, since they were small and perfectly symmetrical. Creating Kage Bunshins of other weapons such as kunai and what not should prove only slightly harder. Naruto practiced making a single Kage Bunshin of a kunai and found that the theory was just as easily done as said. Naruto moved onto his special knives and focused an insane amount of chakra, creating about 64 shadow clones of the left handed knife. Kakashi came into the room at this chakra spike and saw Naruto surrounded by knives. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know what's going on?"

Naruto carefully pushed his way out of the stack so as not to cut himself and got the scroll. He smiled lazily at Kakashi.

"Well, I had an idea for a new jutsu."

Kakashi looked at the knives.

"A variant of Kage Shuriken?"

Naruto shrugged.

"That's the first part of it."

Kakashi looked at Naruto in interest.

"First part?"

Naruto nodded and explained his reasoning.

"Objects that are sealed are kept in stasis. I theorised that if I created a huge number of weapon clones and sealed them, they would stay there without any effort from me and I could summon them at will."

Kakashi saw the logic in this. Sure, a number of people had probably given the idea a passing thought, but Naruto had just in the space of 3 minutes brought it into reality. Considering Naruto's talent for Kage Bunshins and Fuin Jutsus, it really actually wasn't that surprising he had made it. Naruto went back to sealing other objects into his other two scrolls like food, water, a medical kit, and several other things. After about 15 minutes, there was a knock at the door and when Kakashi answered the door, Shikamaru and Chouji came in with an assortment of different things. Chouji naturally had brought what most people would consider a life time supply of snack foods. After Naruto led them to his room, he showed them how the process was done. He even allowed both boys to have a go. Neither of them managed it though, but Naruto smiled at them.

"Don't worry. It took me 3 months to learn how to do it without stuffing up."

After everything had been sealed, Naruto handed the scrolls to the two boys. The three of them discussed possible plans for the second test until well after dark. After the boys left, Naruto got to bed and went to sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, Training Area 44:**

Team 8 had made it to the area with 5 minutes left to spare, as was their custom. Anko waited another five minutes before she saw that every team had made it on time and began her explanation with a snicker.

"Now you will experience why this place is called the forest of death."

Naruto came back to attention and stared at her lazily.

"What was that, sorry?"

People snickered and Anko smiled, hiding her true intentions. She pushed a kunai into her hand and hurled it at Naruto who took it smack in the forehead, much to the chagrin of the others. However, Naruto poofed out of existence and the real Naruto appeared behind Anko.

"Did the clone really deserve a kunai to the head? He was just theorising about the possibilities of a new jutsu."

Shikamaru slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Mendokusei..."

Chouji smiled while the others stared wide eyed at Naruto. Anko smiled.

"Not bad, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and reappeared beside his two team mates. Anko reached into her coat and pulled out a stack of papers. Naruto looked at them.

"Consent forms? So we are allowed to kill in this test?"

Anko smiled and nodded. Everyone decided it would probably be a good idea to stay out of Naruto's way.

"There will be deaths in this test, guaranteed. I need you to sign these so I don't get the blame for your deaths. I hate paperwork, especially the ones for a death I'm responsible for."

Anko passed the stack of forms to Naruto who took one and passed it on.

"I will now begin the explanation for the second test of the Chuunin exams. To sum it up, you will all go through an extreme survival match. First, I will explain the area's geographical features."

Anko unrolled a scroll that had a map of the training area on it.

"The area is roughly 20 kilometres in diameter with 44 entrance gates spaced evenly around the side. The entire area is consists of a thick forest. There is a river running roughly north to south with a tower at the centre. The tower is about 10 kilometres from any gate. Once you are inside, you will be required to complete a mission. The mission directive is this: You will do anything necessary to fight for these scrolls."

Anko pulled out a pair of scrolls. One scroll was white and marked with the 'Heaven' Kanji, while the blue one was marked with the 'Earth' Kanji. Anko continued explaining.

"There are several rules to this test. Rule one: To successfully progress to the final test, you must obtain one Heaven and one Earth scroll and make it to the tower within the time limit. Rule two: If you complete the first rule, but produce a missing or unrecoverable team mate, you fail. Rule three: You are not allowed to open these scrolls until you have entered the tower. Rule four: Once the test has begun, you will not be allowed to leave the forest until the end of the test. Rule five: The time limit is 120 hours, or five days."

Ino smirked at Chouji.

"Worried about food?"

Chouji smirked back at her.

"No. I have more than enough food to last me seven days."

Everyone who knew Chouji's eating habits that were not on his team looked at him dubiously. A week of food for Chouji consisted of junk food that most people would eat over the space of 5 or so years. There was no bulging pack of food. In fact, Chouji had a single bag of chips in his hand and that was it, from what they could see. Anko restarted with her explanation.

"Once you and your team have signed the forms, you will hand three forms in for a single one of these scrolls which will be chosen at random at that stand there."

She pointed to a stand where three examiners were sitting. Anko looked back at them.

"You have 15 minutes to sign the forms. Once those fifteen minutes is up, you will be assigned to a gate with your team and you will have a final ten minutes to plan your strategies before the exam will commence. As a final piece of advice... Don't die."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**25 Minutes Later:**

Team 8 had signed the forms and handed them in as soon as they were allowed. They received the Earth scroll and were directed to gate number 8. After a final ten minutes of strategising, the gates were open and they charged in, hoping to get this over and done with. Naruto extended his senses and tried to detect chakra signatures. He found a non familiar group not too far away and Naruto made a hand signal in the target team's direction. They changed course and jumped up into the trees, making a bee line for the team. Once they were about 50 meters away, Naruto saw that they were a team from Suna. Luckily, it was not Gaara's team. The team seemed to be arguing over something and they pulled out their scroll, which was luckily the Heaven scroll. Naruto had an idea as he pulled out a spare scroll and used a very discrete Kawarimi no Jutsu to replace the scroll they were stupidly waving about with a very similar scroll and they made their way towards the tower with the Suna team none the wiser.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the Command Centre in the Tower:**

Anko had just gotten to the tower in the 3 hours since the exam started when an examiner rushed out the door to greet her.

"Anko-San! A team has already passed!"

Anko looked at the man sceptically. The previous record was around 5 hours, yet he was claiming that a team had finished in fewer than three? The man saw the look and explained.

"It was Team 8 of Konoha, Anko-San. Team captain was Uzumaki Naruto. They're just entering the tower now."

Anko sighed. She should have guessed. She walked into the control hub of the tower and saw from the security camera in the room that indeed, Uzumaki Naruto and Team 8 were just entering the tower, completely unscathed.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**With Team 8:**

Naruto pushed open the door and broke the paper seal holding it shut. They walked into the room and saw a quote written on the wall. Naruto recognised it vaguely as a quote from one of the Hokage's. Looking at the scrolls, he gave one to Shikamaru and they both opened them, revealing summoning scrolls. Naruto saw the main symbol on the scrolls form a lump and smoke began emitting from it like a miniature volcano. Naruto nodded at Shikamaru and they threw them to the floor where a cloud of smoke appeared. Naruto smiled as he felt the familiar chakra signature.

"It's been a while, Iruka-Sensei."

The smoke cleared to indeed reveal it was Iruka. Iruka looked rather startled to be summoned so early, and even more startled to see that Team 8 was completely unscratched.

"Hey Naruto. It's good to see that you guys made it. You've smashed the pervious record by several hours... I doubted Kurenai when she accepted the mission to the Wave, but now I can see why. Naruto, you make an excellent commander. I have little doubt that you will become Chuunin."

Naruto smiled as he looked up at the wall.

"Iruka-Sensei, I remember that quote from somewhere, but it's broken."

Iruka smiled.

"That was my other mission. Each team that passes will be greeted by a Chuunin, congratulated and then told the meaning of the quote. Read it. It's the quote Sandaime-Sama thought you should keep in mind for this exam and as a Chuunin. The 'Heaven' in this quote indicates the head of a person. The 'Earth' indicates the body. If you do not posses Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not posses earth, run through the fields and seek strength. For example, let's say Chouji's weakness was his brain, he should study every day."

Chouji smiled sheepishly and chuckled at the good natured joke.

"If Shikamaru's weakness was his body, he should train himself every day."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

"And if you posses both qualities like Naruto, dangerous missions will become safe ones, possibly even easy."

Naruto smiled lazily at the compliment. Iruka held up a finger and closed his eyes.

"A Chuunin is a Commander Class Ninja who is responsible for his team mates' lives and successful completion of the mission. Remember this principle and go forward. I'm proud of you three. Congratulations."

Naruto smiled as they chatted for a bit longer before Iruka puffed out of existence, leaving Team 8 to explore the tower. They found a room not far away that had three futons as well as some other things. They left it and proceeded to the central part of the tower, finding a wide open space with a giant statue of a pair of arms and hands that were forming the ram seal. Naruto decided to set down here and work on some things for the upcoming third exam, while Chouji and Shikamaru sat down next to him. Chouji pulled out his food scroll and used a bit of chakra to pull a large shopping bag full of packets of chips out. He opened one packet and began eating, sharing chips with both Naruto and Shikamaru. Naruto pulled out his own scroll that held the mass number of trench knives knives to see that they were still firmly held in stasis. An hour of chatting and eating later, Naruto became aware of three chakra signatures at the entrance of the room. Naruto turned to see Gaara's team, completely unscathed. Naruto raised a hand lazily in greeting.

"Yo. Good to see you made it."

Gaara nodded and led his team out, going somewhere else in the tower. Naruto looked at the scroll that had his trench knives sealed into it and decided to try and replicate it. Opening his utilities scroll, Naruto pulled another green coloured scroll out of the scroll as well as a calligraphy brush and a bottle of ink. Naruto looked carefully at the real scroll and began paining it to make a mirror copy. Both Shikamaru and Chouji looked on in interest as about 15 minutes later, Naruto finished, admiring his handy work. Naruto pulled out his real trench knives from their hidden location in his sleaves and formed a ram seal, focusing a huge amount of chakra before there was a huge puff of smoke and Chouji and Shikamaru's eyes widened in disbelief. Naruto had made 64 copies of the right hand knife. They both reached out and touched them to see that they were all indeed real. Naruto looked at them and picked up one of the knives before doing two hand seals to seal the weapon clone inside the scroll. About 10 minutes later, Naruto sealed the last one inside the scroll and rolled it back up, tying it up with string. Naruto noticed the look on their faces and smiled.

"It's a new jutsu I invented. I knew that while something is sealed, it is essentially in stasis. I know how to perform the Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and creating the knives is only slightly more difficult than shuriken. I put two and two together and tried sealing the weapon clones inside the scroll for later use. I don't need to maintain concentration to keep them active until I resummon them."

Chouji and Shikamaru nodded slowly. Naruto put a finger to his chin in a pose that they recognised as thoughtfulness.

"I still haven't made a name for this jutsu yet..."

After throwing some names around, they decided to leave it for later and they got back to practicing, eating and studying.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**End of the Fifth Day:**

The other teams that had arrived had trickled in and every one of the Konoha Rookie teams had made it. The team from Oto had as well. There was also Kabuto's team. No surprises there. At the end of the time limit, they were assembled in the main hall. All of the Jounin instructors from the Konoha teams except Kabuto's team, as well as all of the main examiners for the three tests and the Hokage were present. Anko looked at them.

"Alright, line up in your teams, we have an announcement to make. First of all, congratulations on passing the second test. We will now have an explanation on the third exam from Hokage-Sama. Everyone listen well."

The Hokage stepped forward, cleared his throat and began.

"The third exam will begin, however, before that; there is something that I want to make clear to all of you."

Several people in the room knew what was coming next. Kabuto's team were some of them. Naruto had a fair idea, but he kept his mouth shut.

"It's about the true purpose of the exam. Why we do a joint exam with the allied nations."

Naruto knew exactly where this was going now.

"'To maintain good relations with the allied nations' and to 'heighten the level of the ninja'... Do not let those reasons deceive you. This 'exam' so to speak, is really... Just a replacement for war."

A lot of the Genin gasped. Tenten asked the question nearly everyone wanted to.

"What do you mean?"

"If we go back into the pages of history, the current allied nations now were in fact bitter enemies, fighting for the right to rule. To avoid the massive waste of military power that is the result of war, they agreed to localise the fighting to one area. This was the beginning of the Chuunin Selection Exams."

Ino still didn't understand.

"What? So this isn't for Chuunin promotions?"

"This exam is indeed examine those who are worthy of the Chuunin title. But on the other hand, it is also a place where ninja fight and carry their country's dignity. In the third exam, feudal lords and famous people from varying countries who may be potential clients are invited here as guests. Feudal lords from countries with hidden villages and ninja leaders will see your battles. If there is a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. If a country is seen as weak, their jobs will decrease and at the same time, countries are able to show how their village has grown, and possess excellent military power to the adjacent countries. IN other words, they can put foreign pressure on them."

Kiba obviously still didn't get it, and proved it by questioning the Hokage further.

"So why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?"

Naruto looked lazily at Kiba before turning back to the old man he answered him.

"A county's power is the village's power. The village's power is the shinobi's power and a shinobi's true power is only manifested in life-or-death situations."

_'How true that is...'_

He tuned back into the Hokage's speech.

"This exam is also a place to show off the ninja power of one's country. Since this is an exam where you fight with your lives on the line, it has a meaning, and your predecessors have fought and dreamed of being in the Chuunin Exam because of it."

Apparently, no one had any more questions; however, Gaara was obviously impatient.

"I don't care. Tell us the details of this life-or-death exam."

The Hokage nodded.

"Then I will begin explaining the details of the third test, but-"

The Hokage was interrupted by a Jounin who appeared in front of him.

"Excuse me, Hokage-Sama. I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain."

"Please do."

Hayate slowly stood up, not turning to face them.

"It's nice to meet you, everyone. Before the third test, there's something I want you to do. _'cough'_ Fight in some preliminary matches to see who gets to progress to the main matches."

Most of the Genin started murmuring to each other. Sakura wanted a further explanation.

"Sensei, I don't understand. Why can't we just progress to the main matches with the remaining examinees?"

Hayate coughed again, and looked over them.

"It may have been that the exams were too easy this year, or you're all exceptional Genins, however, there are far too many of you left. The time of the feudal lords and other important people is precious, and we cannot afford to waste it with endless battles. Therefore, only 10 or less people are allowed to enter the main matches. According to the Chuunin Exam regulations, we are required to hold preliminaries to decrease it to a suitable number. We are also limited on time, so those who do not feel well and wish to quit, please raise your hand now. You can do so without hurting your team, as from now on, it will be one on one matches. The preliminaries will begin immediately. Would anyone like to quit?"

Sasuke grabbed his neck, which Naruto noticed as he felt a distinctly evil pulse of chakra coming from Sasuke.

"Sasuke-Kun..."

Naruto saw that Sakura was worried about something.

"Sasuke-Kun, you should withdraw from the preliminary matches."

Both Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened at this. Sakura pressed on.

"You've been acting weird since that Orochimaru guy beat you. The bruise hurt even now, right? Please... Please stop. I'm afraid."

Anko, Ibiki and the Hokage began discussing what they should do with the boy. The suggestion of forcing him out of the matches and surrounding them with ANBU escort in isolation came up when Kakashi butted in.

"He's not the sort that will listen to you that easily. He has a background that gives him a stubborn will to try his hardest, after all."

Anko got pissed off and started chewing Kakashi out for his lack of seriousness at the situation.

"Stop fooling around! I'll make him quit, even if I have to use force! The cursed seal reacts when you try to mould chakra and it will try and extract power from him. It's a forbidden jutsu that undermines the affected person. It amazes me that he's able to withstand it. A normal person would be dead!"

Anko turned to the Hokage.

"Hokage-Sama!"

Sakura still hadn't let up trying to make him quit.

"You aren't in any condition to fight. You should just-"

Sasuke turned to her, glaring at her despite the pain.

"Shut up."

"I knew it!"

Sasuke whispered to her.

"Just be quiet."

Sakura couldn't take the hint.

"You've been baring this pain the whole time!"

Sasuke tried to make her see the point.

"Sakura, learn when to take a hint and shut it."

Sakura still didn't get it, and decided to go to the next level.

"Whatever you say, I'm still going to tell the teachers about it."

Sakura started raising her hand, but she stopped when she saw Kabuto had already raised his own. The Hokage looked at him.

"What is it?"

"I quit."

Everyone stared at him and Hayate flipped through the clipboard's paper, stopping at a certain page.

"You're Konoha's Yakushi Kabuto, right? Ok, you can leave."

Kabuto turned around and walked through the lines towards the door. As he walked out the back of the group of Genin, Naruto stopped him with a lazy stare.

"Kabuto, why are you quitting?"

Kabuto turned around and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-Kun, but I'm exhausted of chakra. I'd rather quit now while I'm still in one piece than face off against someone and be taken out of here on a stretcher."

Naruto glared at him.

"Your chakra levels are full. Your lying may convince the others, but I know a traitor when I see one."

Everyone stopped and looked at Naruto who was accusing one of his fellow comrades of treason.

"First, you had a staggering amount of information on my background and abilities, which besides four of the people up there, only I should know about. Not even the Hokage knows the full extent of my abilities. You would have even broken the law and revealed an S class secret to a bunch of Genin who, even if they were all from Konoha, would not be permitted to know it until they reached Jounin. An act which is punishable by death. You knew more about Rock Lee than anyone else except his team and myself. Your chakra capacity is massive, beyond even mine. You said your chakra was drained, yet I can feel it's still at basically full strength. And also, while you're at it, get rid of that Genjutsu on your forehead protector. I am within my legal rights to end your life right now."

Kabuto's eyes widened as he smiled sadly.

"You are indeed observant, Naruto-Kun."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed as he snapped his fingers and Kabuto and his team mates were surrounded by three squads of ANBU. Ibiki nodded at them and the squads took hold of Kabuto and his two team mates, disappearing. Everyone was silent for quite some time, trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. Naruto looked up at the Hokage.

"Old man, I want to know more about that boy. The fact that he knew was incredibly disturbing."

With a cough, Hayate caught their attention. Hayate pointed to one of the panels on the back wall. Said panel slid up to reveal a display screen.

"Then, let's start the preliminaries. It will consist of one-on-one matches. In other words, it will be like real combat. Now that we have exactly 18 people, we will have 9 matches. The winners will be able to progress to the third test. There are no rules for engaging in combat and you will fight them until they die, are knocked out or admit defeat, however, if I decide the match is over, you will stop immediately. The electric bulletin board will choose two names at random from the participants. Without further ado, I will start the selection for the first match."

The screen flashed yellow before the names of the remaining contestants began cycling through, settling on the first pair.

_Uzumaki Naruto VS Sabaku no Temari_

Naruto sighed.

"Right off the bat, huh..."

Hayate coughed and looked at the two people.

"Would the two participants step forward please?"

Both of them separated from their teams and stood face to face.

"First match is between Uzumaki Naruto and Sabaku no Temari. Are there any objections to the participants?"

No one spoke so Hayate coughed.

"Then would you please proceed to the stands with your Jounin Senseis and wait for your turn to start?"

Once everyone had left the field except Temari, Naruto and Hayate, he coughed again.

"First match. Hajime."

Temari jumped back and eyed Naruto carefully. Naruto smiled at her.

"Judging by that battle fan you have, you're one of the few wind users of Suna."

Temari's eyes widened as Naruto took out a scroll, opened it and began reading. Temari sweat dropped.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto didn't look up.

"I'm thinking about the possibilities of a new jutsu... Hmm... If I was to put a modified seal on-"

A vein on Temari's forehead was pulsing before she took out her fan and let a massive gust of wind fly. When the blast hit the wall Naruto was in front of, the wall crumbled and gave off a huge cloud of dust. When it cleared Naruto was gone, Temari smirked.

"If you don't take me seriously, this is what happens."

Naruto was still looking at the scroll from behind her.

"You know, for a wind user, your skill with wind isn't all that great."

Temari whipped around and let off another gust at point blank range, only to see Naruto in his original position. Naruto rolled the scroll up and put it away, pulling out two other scrolls. A green and a black one. Shikamaru and Chouji's eyes widened at this, as did everyone else's. Naruto smiled at his opponent. Naruto focused some chakra and said a single word.

"Kai."

Team 8 and Team Gai's eyes widened even further. Whatever Naruto was going to do would require a great deal of speed.

"I think it's time I tried this new jutsu... However, I need to think of a name for it..."

Naruto closed his eyes before opening them several seconds later, smiling. Naruto stood both scrolls upright and got into a crouching stance.

"Ninpou Kuchiyose: Hyuaku Nijuu Hachi Kage Kaze no Yaiba!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the name. Kurenai stared at Naruto in disbelief.

"Ninja Summoning Art, 128 Shadow Blades of Wind?"

The area around Naruto exploded into a small cloud of white smoke from which nine swirling trails spiralled around. A few seconds later, a pair of smoke pillars shot upwards; one green and the other black. They wrapped themselves around each other before the smoke dispersed, revealing the green and black scrolls. Naruto jumped up in between them and began using gliding motions with his hands to get the first two knives out of the scroll. He poured a huge amount of chakra into them and smiled at Temari.

"Two Blades!"

Naruto hurled the blades at Temari, who dodged them and everyone's eyes bludged as they impacted the ground and went THOUGH it, completely disappearing from view leaving nothing but a slit in the ground where they had impacted. The other wind users in the room, namely Baki, Temari, Asuma and the Hokage realised that these blades were still made of metal, but it was a metal heavily influenced by the wind property. Naruto smiled and procured the next two.

"Four Blades!"

Naruto hurled the blades at her and Temari again dodged. Naruto continued smiling.

"Eight Blades!"

Naruto got two blades, pumped a huge amount of chakra into them threw them and then did the same with two more. Temari dodged them and stared at Naruto, who kept smiling.

"Sixteen Blades!"

Temari's eyes widened. He was increasing the number of blades with each round using a fibanarchi like method, and there were apparently 128 in total! She wouldn't be able to dodge for much longer. The eight knives flew at her as she just managed to dodge them. For the next one, she had no choice but to block or deflect them.

"Thirty Two Blades!"

Naruto's speed was increasing dramatically as the latest salvo came at Temari. By now, Naruto was rotating his body so fast to get the knives that the chakra blades left a trail around him that to Neji and Hinata looked disturbingly like the Kaiten. Temari let forth a gust of wind to try and block the knives and when the knives hit the wind, they kept going for a while before they puffed into smoke. All Jounins eyes in the room widened even further, if it was possible. These knives were Kage Bunshins? Even Naruto could not make the clones this quickly. He was actually summoning them from the scroll! Naruto kept smiling.

"Sixty Four Blades!"

Temari was scared out of her wits. Even her best wind attack would not be able to defeat the number of knives remaining. Naruto turned into a blur as he ripped the weapons from the scroll, forced chakra into them and hurled the volley at Temari. Temari let forth another gust of wind, destroying the blades and covering the area between her and Naruto with a smoke screen. The amount of chakra she had to put into these gusts was ridiculous. Temari heard Naruto's call of the next and final volley.

"One Hundred and Twenty Eight Blades!"

Temari didn't have time to react as the blades ripped through the smoke and she closed her eyes and waited for the end. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes slowly to see sixty four knives hovering in front of her. Naruto dropped back to the ground with the scrolls piling around him smiling cheezily at her.

"If I wanted, I could have killed you by letting those knives travel for another fraction of a second. There is no blade in the world stronger than a blade of wind. True blades of wind can not be stopped by anything. The fact that all of those knives were Kage Bunshins and they still lasted as long as they did against your wind attacks is surprising. Sorry, Temari-San, but you lose this one."

Hayate pointed to Naruto.

"Shousha: Uzumaki Naruto."

Chouji pumped his fist into the air and cheered while everyone else was trying to pick their mouths off the ground. Naruto narrowed his eyes as the knives hovering in front of Temari poofed out of existence. Naruto shook his head.

"I can't believe how much chakra that took... I'll have to make this a novelty jutsu..."

Everyone's eyes practically popped out of their head. He was making something like this a NOVELTY jutsu? Naruto rolled the scrolls up and walked up the stairs, stopping behind Team Gai, or more specifically, Neji and Tenten.

"Since I trained with your team, seeing you use the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou and Soshoryu gave me the idea for the manifestation of that jutsu. Thanks, guys."

Neji and Tenten nodded dumbly as Lee's eyes caught fire.

"Your overflowing youth is an example to us all, Naruto-Kun!"

Naruto smiled.

"Thanks, Lee."

Naruto made his way over to his team where Chouji offered him a bag of chips, which Naruto accepted gratefully while Shikamaru smiled at Naruto. Kurenai was smiling widely at her student as she placed a hand on his shoulder, which Naruto noticed.

"That was great, Naruto. How did you come up with that jutsu?"

"Well, I knew that sealing scrolls can be used to put things in stasis, so I theorised that if I was able to put shadow clones of items into them, the same should hold true for weapons. Then it was a matter of actually trying it out. It seems to work a little... Too well... Few of the Genin here would have enough chakra to even use it, which is why I'm making it a novelty jutsu. IT requires a lot of work before I can even use it, as the enemy won't just sit and watch me create 128 knives and seal them one at a time into the scroll."

Kurenai smiled at Naruto as he turned back to the others to see that everyone's eyes were still on him. Naruto looked lazily at Hayate.

"Hayate-San, are you going to announce the next match?"

Hayate coughed and the bulletin board began cycling through the names.

_Akimichi Chouji VS Uchiha Sasuke_

Chouji smiled as he started shovelling in chips by the handful. Sakura stared at him.

"Why is he eating chips at a time like this?"

Naruto looked at her lazily.

"You'll see."

Sasuke was about to be schooled. Naruto thought about which way Chouji was going to flatten the Uchiha. As Chouji finished the bag, he ran down the stairs following Sasuke and they stood face to face. Once Hayate made sure they were ready, he brought his hand down between them and jumped back.

"Second Match. Hajime."

Both Ino and Sakura started cheering for their team mate. Chouji smiled as he pulled out his weapon scroll.

"Naruto's not the only one who's been learning new jutsus!"

Chouji put his palm to a particular pair of symbols to reveal a mass of kunai that were threaded through a pair of wires by the pommel. Chouji wrapped the wires around his chest and smiled. Naruto smirked.

"Inventive. Very clever."

Everyone around Naruto looked at him waiting for an explanation.

"Watch."

Chouji put both arms in front of him and started with a clan jutsu.

"Baika no Jutsu!"

Chouji's size increased dramatically and the kunai stretched around Chouji. Naruto had a fair idea of what was coming next. Chouji drew his arms, legs and head into the body, letting out plumes of chakra as he announced his combo jutsu.

"Nikudan Hari Sensha!"

Naruto smiled as Chouji started spinning rapidly, rolling forward far faster than ever before. Naruto had been right.

"As I thought. Chouji used the kunai to improve his family jutsu, dramatically increasing not only his destructive power, but also his speed and manoeuvrability."

They looked back to see Chouji rolling all over the field, chanting his usual mantra.

"Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!"

Sasuke was dodging the rolling ball of green, not entirely sure about what to make of it. He gave himself some distance and thought about how to attack it. He could not use chakra, therefore no jutsus or Sharingan. He took out a kunai and threw it at Chouji, watching in dismay as it shattered on impact. If that's what it did to metal, there was absolutely no chance in hell he was going to try physically attacking it. He was pretty sure even if he managed to stop the rotation, punching him would be like punching the wall of a padded room. He'd just bounce right back. He just had to wait until Chouji wore himself out. However, Naruto knew something Sasuke was forgetting. Akimichis do not tire easily. Chouji was no exception. Naruto sighed.

"Sasuke's had it. If he could, he would have used jutsus by now or the Sharingan, but he hasn't. There is no way Sasuke can win this unless Chouji gives up. And trust me, Chouji will not."

Shikamaru agreed with Naruto's assessment. Back in the arena, Sasuke seized up and Naruto detected a slight spike of a very disturbing chakra signature coming from Sasuke. Chouji didn't stop and rolled into him, slicing Sasuke severely before Sasuke managed to half limp, half jump to the side and collapsed, panting heavily as people saw strange markings work their way over his body. The markings withdrew, but Sasuke did not get back up. After coming to a stop and returning to his normal size, Chouji awaited the outcome of the match. Hayate coughed.

"Shousha: Akimichi Chouji."

Chouji was extremely pleased with himself as he ran back up to his team mates. Shikamaru patted him on the back and Naruto pulled out his food scroll and brought forth a packet of chips, which he handed to Chouji. Chouji smiled and took them, ripping into them. Both Sakura and Ino were gob smacked that their precious Sasuke-Kun had been defeated. Kakashi looked at them.

"Sasuke was unable to use any chakra. Chouji was the worst possible opponent he could face with that handicap."

Kakashi reappeared in a poof besides Sasuke just as the medical Nins were about to pick him up.

"This is out of your league. I'll handle this, and then you can heal him."

The medic Nins nodded, as Kakashi poofed with Sasuke into another room. Hayate coughed, catching everyone's attention. The scoreboard started cycling through the names again before landing on a rather interesting match up.

_Haruno Sakura VS Yamanaka Ino_

Both girls stiffened before they looked at each other and proceeded down to the ground.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**15 Minutes Later:**

Both Ino and Sakura charged each other, using the last of their strength to land a final blow. Both girls landed the punch to the other's head, sending the other flying back. They struggled to glare at each other one last time before they both passed out. Hayate surveyed both girls closely before straightening up.

"Both competitors are unable to continue, meaning it's a double knock out. No one from the third match will progress to the third test."

Kakashi reappeared and picked up both girls before reappearing next to the Konoha Rookies, placing them in a sitting position against the wall. Hayate coughed, and the screen began cycling through names again. It settled for a pair that could only be described as 'fate'

_Hyuuga Hinata VS Hyuuga Neji_

Hinata's eyes widened and fear started pouring off her in waves. She slowly walked down as did Neji. Neji smirked.

"Hinata-Sama, you should forfeit. The moment I was chosen as your opponent, fate-"

Neji didn't get to finish the sentence as Naruto looked at him, calling out to him.

"Neji, don't start with that fate stuff again. Remember what I told you."

Everyone looked at Naruto. Neji's eyes narrowed at the memory.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Flashback:**

Lee had challenged Neji to yet another duel, with Naruto refereeing the match. The match was over in a flash, and Neji smirked.

"No matter how good you are Lee, you will always lose to me. Fate has decided that long ago."

Lee looked up at Neji from his position on the ground.

"Fate? What does fate have to do with anything?"

Neji launched into an all too familiar speech.

"Your talent is determined when you are born. In other words, everything is predetermined at birth."

Lee glared at Neji.

"Why do you always label everything like that?"

Neji smirked.

"Are you saying that anyone can become a genius if they try hard enough?"

Lee's eyes widened as Neji continued with his speech.

"Only a few will ever be geniuses. Look at reality closely! Those who are geniuses are born with that fate. It's not something that you can become because you want to. It's already determined by fate. People are different. They can only live in the indisputable flow of life. But there is just one fate... That everyone possesses. And that is death."

Lee's spirit had been almost broken when Naruto interrupted.

"Neji, do you believe that?"

Neji turned to Naruto as Naruto explained himself.

"If a single man hadn't saved me on my fourth birthday, even if I had survived, I wouldn't be a genius, as you call them, now. I would have been the dobe of the academy instead of the Rookie of the Year. I would have lived my life shunned by everyone."

Neji smirked as he closed his eyes.

"Fate intervened on your fourth birthday."

Naruto nodded.

"It did. It dictated I would die at the age of four."

Both Neji and Lee looked at Naruto shocked as he explained.

"For the first three birthdays of my life, the Hokage saved me from death. However, on my fourth birthday, fate determined that I would die. The Hokage did not show up after I was cornered and beaten to near death. The only reason I survived was that another boy proved to me that this was not normal, that I had the ability to change the direction my life was taking. If he had not intervened, I would never have been able to learn from the best Jounin specialists in the village. Neji, it is true that people share one fate. The fate of death. However, apart from stating that we will all die, fate has no control over us. It does not even dictate when we will die. To a large extent, the person will dictate when they will die. If they let their guard down during a battle which an enemy takes advantage of and kills them, if they have an accident that results in death, if they commit a grievous crime and are sentenced to death, they decided their own way to die, even if it was unconsciously, or in the case of the last example, willingly. Neji, fate is not something that even the gods can control, let alone mortals like us. You can either choose to live life the way others want you to, or you can make your own path in life. You may end up in exactly the same place, but the important thing is that you controlled they way you got there."

Both Neji and Lee were shocked speechless at this, as were Gai and Tenten who had overheard it. Neji after several weeks had slowly started to let go of his beliefs in fate, although when it came to the head family, it was impossible, even for Naruto to stop him.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**End Flashback:**

Neji smirked as he turned back to Hinata.

"I will give you a choice. Do you wish to fight me, or do you wish to back down? I will accept either."

Hinata's fear slowly subsided as she closed her eyes, gathering her resolve. She opened her eyes, which were now full of determination.

"I will fight."

Neji nodded and got into his Juken Stance, as did Hinata. Naruto noticed interestingly enough that even with the Hyuugas trademark Taijutsu stance, there seemed to be slight variations in the stance between members of the main and branch houses. Apart from the fact that Hinata was less experienced than Neji, which her stance showed, the overall posture was slightly different. He would be able to tell when they engaged in battle. Hayate brought his hand down.

"6th Match, Hajime."

He jumped back as both Hyuuga charged in, trading blows. Sakura was fascinated by the style.

"It looks like they're... Palming each other..."

Naruto nodded.

"They are. However, the Hyuugas style of Taijutsu, known as the Jyuken, will do more damage if used correctly than even my stance will. The stance was created to bring out the full potential of the Hyuuga Kekke Genkai, the Byuakugan. Like the Sharingan, it can see Chakra, however, unlike the Sharingan, the Byuakugan gives them not only an extended nearly three hundred and sixty degree view of their surroundings, but it allows them to see the opponents Chakra system. The theory behind the Jyuken is simple enough. If you managed to hit one of the Tenketsu of the chakra system accurately, you can control their chakra flow as you wish. People may be able to strengthen their bones and muscles, but they will never be able to strengthen their inner organs. The Jyuken is able to kill a person in one hit if they hit one of the major Tenketsu around the person's major organs. Even a glancing blow from the Jyuken is enough to kill you."

Everyone listened to Naruto's explanation while watching the fight. Both of them went in for a blow, both getting hits on the opponent and stopping. After a few seconds, Hinata coughed up blood. Neji pulled back the sleave of her jacket, revealing why Hinata's attack had done nothing. He had sealed the Tenketsu on her arms, disabling her use of the Jyuken. Hinata looked at her arm.

"All this time you were..."

"Correct, Hinata-Sama. I know how dangerous the Jyuken is, so I stopped you from using it for this fight."

Hinata sighed. She could go on with the fight, using regular academy Taijutsu, but it would be pointless, as all Hyuugas who went to the academy only learnt the bare basics of regular Taijutsu. She raised her free hand.

"I... I forfeit..."

Neji let go of Hinata as Hayate announced the winner.

"Shousha: Hyuuga Neji."

Hinata despondently walked back up to her team mates, who consoled her while Neji returned to Team Gai. Neji nodded to Naruto.

"Thank you for reminding me. I almost lost myself again."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"No problem."

Hayate coughed and the board began cycling through names. Naruto was starting to wonder if the board was voice activated by Hayate's cough. The next match up was decided.

_Nara Shikamaru VS Kin Tsuchi_

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei. I have to fight a girl."

Naruto smiled as his team mate made his way to the arena, as did the kunoichi from the Oto team. Hayate brought his hand down and started the match.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Minutes Later:**

Shikamaru had looked to be in a bad position, but Naruto had seen his sneaky use of the Kagemane no Jutsu pretending to be the shadows of the strings and captured her, forcing her to slam her head into the wall behind her, knocking her unconscious. Hayate announced the winner.

"Shousha: Nara Shikamaru."

Naruto welcomed his team mate back with a smile, exchanging a few words with his team before Hayate coughed and the board activated. Naruto was sure of it now.

"That board's voiced activated to his cough..."

Chouji snickered while Shikamaru smiled. Since there were few people left, the board seemed to reach its decision quicker with each passing match.

_Dosu Kinuta VS Rock Lee_

Rock lee smiled. This is exactly what was hoping for. A chance to show everyone what he was capable of. Naruto smiled at the energetic boy next to him.

"See if you can finish him in one move, Lee."

Lee gave a thumbs up and jumped over the railing while Dosu walked down, smiling at the boy. Obviously they had met before. Lee spoke first.

"This time the outcome will be different."

Dosu smirked as Hayate brought his hand down.

"Sixth Match. Hajime."

Lee undid his bandages, much to the horror of Dosu, but before Dosu could give up, he was kicked into the air with Lee appearing behind him. Lee's bandages wrapped around him and Lee slammed him into the ground.

"Omote Renge!"

The ground cracked underneath the impact as everyone except Team Gai and Naruto looked gob smacked at the amount of damage that single move had done. Lee landed gracefully at the side of the crater, panting.

"No team mate to save you this time. The only reason you beat me last time is because it was three on one. One on one, I proved my Taijutsu makes me just as capable as you are with your Ninjutsu and Genjutsu."

Hayate pointed to Lee.

"Shousha: Rock Lee."

Lee disappeared and reappeared up with his team mates. Naruto, Gai, Chouji and Shikamaru congratulated him as Hayate coughed setting the scoreboard of again.

_Inuzuka Kiba VS Sabaku no Kankuro_

Kiba jumped down to the arena while Kankuro walked down, a smug look on his face. Once both fighters stepped up and Hayate announced the match.

"Seventh match. Hajime."

Hayate jumped back as Kiba smirked.

"I don't know what you are, but you're not human. The thing on your back is though."

The Suna team looked startled as Kiba rubbed a finger under his nose.

"Never underestimate an Inuzuka's smell. My sense of smell is 1000 times better than any other person in this room. Akamaru! Mashou ka?"

Akamaru barked an affirmative and Kiba formed a ram seal, letting off chakra.

"Gijyuu Ninpou: Shikyaku no Jutsu!"

Kiba's finger nails grew and formed rather wicked looking claws. Kiba smiled ferally at the Opponent.

"Akamaru!"

The dog jumped onto his back and barked.

"Gijyuu Ninpou: Juujin Bunshin!"

Akamaru was surrounded by a cloud of smoke which cleared to reveal and exact copy of Kiba. Both of them growled as they observed their 'prey'.

"Let's go, Akamaru!"

They separated and disappeared in a burst of speed. When they reappeared, both of them were going not for the apparent opponent, but the one strapped to its back. However, Kankuro dodged as he narrowed his eyes. He was at a major disadvantage here. He used puppets to engage in medium to long range battle which left the user vulnerable. It seemed this guy relied on speed and power to deliver savage blows to the opponent. He had to think and fast. Getting some chakra strings, he threw them at one of them, making him stop in his tracks. The other one stopped and looked at his companion.

"Akamaru? Daijobu?"

Akamaru gave several grunts before Kiba sighed.

"That may hold him now, but you're going to give me Akamaru back."

Kiba reached into his pouch and pulled out two small brown pills. He ate one himself and flicked one at the Akamaru clone who caught it and swallowed it in the same movement. The clone growled as chakra began surging off him. He broke free of the chakra strings and smiled at Kankuro. Kiba hunched over, a large purple ball in his hand.

"Let's try that new one, Akamaru! Let's Go!"

Kiba hurled the smoke bomb at Kankuro and announced his Jutsu.

"GATSUUGA!"

Both of them turned into grey cyclones as they ripped into the smoke cloud, causing general destruction. Once the smoke cleared, the puppet was lying on the ground in tatters and the real Kankuro was on the ground, trying desperately to get up, but couldn't and fell to the ground. Kiba smiled.

"Nice work, Akamaru!"

Akamaru grunted and turned back into his regular form. Hayate announced the winner.

"Shousha: Inuzuka Kiba."

Once Kiba got back up to the group, he received praise while Kankuro was carted off along with his puppet so the next match could begin. Hayate coughed and the board scrolled through the last few names and in just over two seconds had chosen a pair.

_Aburame Shino VS Tenten_

Both fighters came down and faced off, not saying a word. Hayate made sure they were both ready, he gave the word to begin.

"Eighth match: Hajime."

Tenten jumped back and jumped into the air, launching several weapons at Shino who tried to jump out of the way, but the weapons struck true. Shino began falling to the ground until he burst into a group of bugs. Naruto smiled.

"Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu."

Tenten looked around her and saw Shino behind her near the wall. She turned around, smiling at him before pulling out several weapons. Shino looked up at her.

"I would advise you to check your surroundings."

Tenten looked around before she saw an entire army of bugs crawling at her from the opposite direction. Shino looked at her.

"Those are Kikai bugs. They will consume your chakra, rendering you unable to fight. If you attack me, the bugs will eat your chakra. If you go for them, I will attack you. What will you do?"

Tenten weighed her options. She REALLY didn't want to have to use this jutsu yet, but it seemed like she had no choice. She reached into her ninja pouch and pulled out a pair of red scrolls. She placed them on the ground.

"I'll show you where Naruto got his inspiration from."

Shino raised an eyebrow as Tenten formed a short set of hand seals before announcing her jutsu.

"Soshoryu!"

The arena exploded in smoke as a pair of dragons rose up through the air, majestically entwining before meeting near the roof of the arena. Tenten jumped up to the top and began palming the scrolls, obtaining weapons of every shape and size imaginable and hurled them at Shino. Shino formed several hand seals of his own, holding his hands out in front of him.

"Mushi Kame no Jutsu."

Bugs flew out from Shino's jacket sleaves and surrounded him with what seemed to be a black version of the Kaiten. The weapons struck it and bounced off, falling to the ground. When Shino sensed the weapons stop, he withdrew his bugs, seeing Tenten land on the ground.

"I'm not done yet!"

Tenten jumped up and pulled the weapons back to her via ninja wire and then flung them back at Shino, who again used the Mushi Kame. When Tenten landed, Shino appeared behind her with a kunai to her neck.

"Interesting jutsu, however, this is checkmate. My bugs are far too close for you to try anything else and I have you in a submissive position."

Tenten may be prideful; however, she knew when she was beaten.

"True, I give up."

Shino relaxed and called his bugs back to him.

"Shousha: Aburame Shino."

Both Shino and Tenten walked back up to their teams, getting nods of acknowledgement or a few words of praise. Hayate coughed, catching their attention.

"Could the fighters for the 9th and final match please step up?"

Gaara used Shushin no Jutsu to get down to the arena while Zaku jumped down. They stood facing each other, waiting for the word. Hayate brought his hand down and jumped back.

"Ninth and final match: Hajime."

Zaku smirked as he brought his one useful arm up.

"This will be enough to beat you!"

Gaara made no movements, so Zaku announced his jutsu.

"Zankuha!"

The air blasted out of the hole in his hand and a huge cloud of dust washed over the part of the arena Gaara was in.

"Hah, blew him to bits!"

Zaku was shocked when the dust cleared to reveal Gaara had not moved an inch, nor was he harmed. Zaku froze in fear while Gaara looked at him.

"Is that it? There isn't enough... BLOOD!"

Gaara sent a wave of sand at Zaku, who tried to dodge but the sand caught him and wrapped him up in a cocoon.

"Sabaku Kyu."

Shino, Kiba and Hinata knew what was coming next. They had observed Gaara use this combo on some hapless Rain Nin which ended up in the ninja having his internals splattered all over the clearing. Before anyone could stop him, Gaara completed the jutsu.

"Sabaku Soso."

Zaku gave one last scream as he was crushed by a huge amount of pressure, much to everyone's horror. The sand retreated back to his gourd, as Hayate announced the winner. He had said killing was permitted, but he never expected someone to do it and so heartlessly.

"Shousha: Gaara."

Gaara warped back up to his team mates as Hayate called the winners down.

"Could the eight people who earnt the right to progress to the final test please come down? We will now announce the rules and date of the final test."

All eight of them came down and stood in a line in front of the assembled Chuunins, Jounins and the Hokage, who after a puff from his pipe got things going.

"Firstly, congratulations on earning the right to compete in the exams. Your main matches will be held in front of a large number of very powerful and influential people, as well as everyone else who wishes to attend, ninja and civilians alike. We wish for all of you to show off your true potential as your country's representative power. Therefore, to allow the important people to arrive here and also to give you time to train, the main matches will be held in exactly one month from today. Use this time to analyse what you've found out about your opponents from the preliminaries, and prepare for it. These preliminaries were conducted like real life confrontations. You knew nothing of the others. But the main matches will not be like that. There are those who have revealed everything to their rivals, and then there are those who have revealed little. This is also the reason the matches are not beginning right away. To make thing fair, train hard and improve yourselves over the next month. Before I let you go, I need each of you to take a piece of paper from the box Anko is holding. Take only one."

Anko stepped forward with a box in her hand.

"I'll come to each of you, so don't worry."

Anko went down the line, starting with Gaara, and finishing with Neji. Once Neji had picked a piece of paper, Anko looked at them.

"I need each of you to tell me what number you got. Starting with you."

She looked at Gaara.

Gaara: 7

Kiba: 2

Chouji: 4

Shikamaru: 3

Naruto: 1

Shino: 6

Lee: 8

Neji: 5

Ibiki had been scribbling on a clipboard and when Neji called out his number, he stopped and turned it around so they could see what he was writing.

"These are the match ups for the main tournament."

**Round One: **

_Uzumaki Naruto VS Inuzuka Kiba_

_Nara Shikamaru VS Akimichi Chouji_

_Hyuuga Neji VS Aburame Shino_

_Sabaku no Gaara VS Rock Lee_

All of them took this information in before the Hokage dismissed them. Naruto knew that this was going to test his 7 years of training to the limits. He needed some SERIOUS coaching.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Holy cow! I think this is officially the longest chapter I've EVER done! Sorry if you feel I left stuff out, but after the length of the chapter, are you really going to complain? Well, until next time my avid readers!

Ja ne,

Specula.


	4. Super Perverts Bloodline Jutsus & Finals

**A/N:** Yo! I suggest every person who reads this chapter reads the V.I.N. Below. It contains some information that will stop people making stupid mistakes, calling me an idiot for grouping Shushin and Hiraishin under their correct category. Also, I'm REALLY sorry, but I stuffed up the final's match ups. I put Kiba and Shino the wrong way around. Kiba is number 2 while Shino is number 6. Apologies again!

**NOTE: **Several people have asked if I know any good Japanese/English translators. In the year I have searched the net, I have only found one that is free, easy to use, extensive, accurate, translates both ways and gives alternatives to the word you want translated. If translating from English to Japanese, it will give you not only the definition of each of the results, but also translates them into not only Romaji, which is Japanese written with English characters, but also gives the Kanji/Hiragana for most of them. I have put a link to it in my profile if you need it. A little hint though, don't try putting in an entire phrase or jutsu name like 'Rising Twin Dragons', because it's a dictionary and thesaurus, not a block text translator.

**SPECIAL NOTE:** Yes, I'm aware that Naruto is strong, as I said low Jounin level. Does that mean he's Sannin level yet? No, no it doesn't. He's going to get his ass whooped by one Orochimaru. And then by Akatsuki. FFS people, if my other stories are any indication, I don't let Naruto live a sheltered life. That's stupid.

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: **I just wanted to get something out of the way before it causes confusion. In this chapter, Naruto will be learning bloodline jutsus. Beware though, Bloodline JUTSUS and Bloodline LIMITS are VERY different things. A Bloodline limit, as you know would be something like the Sharingan or the Byuakugan. A bloodline jutsu, on the other hand, are moves such as the Akimichi's Baika no Jutsu, The Nara's Kagemane no Jutsu, the Kazama's Hiraishin no Jutsu or their version of Shushin no Jutsu. Meaning, that people outside that family/clan cannot learn them, however, they are not considered powerful enough to be Bloodline Limits.

**FINAL NOTE:** Naruto is going to learn the Rasengan in one day in this fic. Don't like that? Too bad. If he could learn it in under one month as a dobe while it took Jiraiya a month and a half, he can learn it in one day as a genius.

Comments/Reviews/Suggestions:

**Fan Fiction Section:**

**demon-sword:** Thanks for the review. Yeah, I personally hate it when Naruto practically has nothing to do with Sasuke, yet he goes and saves him from Orochimaru. Personally, I think Sasuke can be emo all he wants, as long as it's not in my story. And if Sasuke had jutsus, he would have won against Chouji, but no chakra means no jutsus or Sharingan. I'm really only going to get Naruto to learn some moves from Ero-Sennin and one from Kakashi.

**BountyHunterAWL:** Check the links section of my profile.

**Artymis Terun:** Well, since the entire Team 8 made it, it was eventually either going to be Naru VS Shika, Naru VS Chou or Shika VS Chou. There would be absolutely no way of avoiding it, so I got it over with in the first round.

**dee-unlm1t3d:** Ah, sorry about that, I got Shino & Kiba's positions around the wrong way. It's Naru VS Kiba, not Naru VS Shino. Sorry about that...

**ki master:** Heh, um, sorry about the confusion, but read the reply directly above this one...

**All Hail Chibi-Itachi:** Thanks for the review. Well, one person says chew her out, another says don't... What to do, what to do...

**Shuuwai:** Well, Orochimaru only gives the seals to people who will seek him for power. The whole idea is that Orochimaru gives them a sample of his power by giving them a fraction of his chakra, leaving them wanting more. Naruto would want nothing to do with it, so it'd be a waste.

**antiassasinguy:** Um, what you mean chapters should be between 60 and 10 words? Anyway, I really don't like separating the first two tests and prelims for the Chuunin exams. Also, people said they like long chapters, so I gave them a 16k word chapter... Yeah, I agree with you the fights are a tad underdeveloped, but then again, I guess that's a by product of an epic length chapter... Well, thanks for the offer, if I need something, I'll give you a PM.

**firareth3:** In each of those situations, Naruto did the smartest thing he could. 1: Ibiki told him to stop what he was doing. If Naruto had continued, it would have meant failure for him and his team 2: By doing something equivalent to what Naruto did in Canon, he's being as arrogant as Sasuke? Right. 3: Are you saying the real Naruto should have taken the knife to the head instead? And Naruto really only revealed that he knew Kage Bunshin to six people. Team Suna and Team Oto. Naruto used Kage Bunshin in the academy. You should really read and think about things before you accuse me of things that aren't true. The psychological effect of taunting someone as you pound them into the ground is not to be underestimated. Naruto learnt this from his time with Ibiki.

**Ledgendary Legacy:** Trust me, it's not as customary as you think. What about Ino's, Shikamaru's and Chouji's old men? All male team. Kabuto's team? All male. 90 or so percent of all teams in the first Chuunin exam? All male. In fact, I'd say one female to every two males per team is extremely UNCOMMON. As for Naruto as 'the living ninja god' read the 'special note' above. Naruto's strong for his age group. Doesn't mean he's a god. In fact, compared to some others he's weak.

**NekoGuyFan:** Hisashiburi dana, Neko-Chan. Thanks for your comments. I left one for the latest chappie of your story as well. Went a bit... Overboard with the swearing though, didn't you? Well, nice to hear from you again.

**Del'Cera Osirin:** No actually, I seem to have mistyped that... I'll fix it up when I upload this chapter. Thanks.

**Zaebos:** Nah, I'm going to have the entire tournament. If you want another example, see my Tail of Two Bijus fic. The entire tournament is played out because Kabuto defected from Oto to Konoha. And he was the one who set off the invasion with his Genjutsu.

**TrapedSoul:** Well, I did say I have an idea for a NaruxTayu fic, but that's really only for their initial meeting.

**full-metal-sousuke:** I didn't actually know the correct names of the weapons, so I'm going to go back and change them. Thanks for that.

**Shadow of Archon:** Well, usually my fight scenes have a lot more detail, but when I wrote them, it was 2 am and the chapter was 40 A4 pages long, so I was really tired. I'll go back and reedit the story once I finish it.

**Solar Guardian:** Yo, haven't heard from you in a while. You know why I don't like fixing the Media Miner version? Because I have to reupload the chapter with any additions/corrections. The way I work is reviewers point out the typos and I export the chapter from my Fan Fiction account and edit it, before replacing the faulty chapter with the redone one. I can't do that on Media Miner, which sucks.

**Uwe Dierks:** Sure I'll give your story a read. As for the 'God Bless', I not offended by it as such, I just find it annoying. I won't explain why, as that'll take like a page.

**Media Miner Section:** I know that some people have posted reviews for my story on Media Miner, but I can't see them. Apologies for that, I'll answer them when I can see them.

To all people who I didn't answer, thank you for your reviews! I hope you enjoy!

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Four:

Super Perverts, Bloodline Jutsus and Tournaments:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back in Konoha:**

Naruto made a very careful list of things he wanted to study for the matches; however, the majority of them relied on outside help he was not guaranteed of getting. He came home to find Kakashi had left a note for him.

_'Otouto, _

_I have heard rumours of Jiraiya being back in town. I would highly suggest seeking him out for training. He can usually be spotted around women's hot springs. Congratulations again on making it to the main matches._

_Your Niisan.'_

Naruto's eyes lit up. Jiraiya should be able to help him immensely with his training, assuming he found him. Naruto resolved to hunt the man down tomorrow, but for now, he needed sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, 9:30 am:**

Naruto had dropped by training area 19 to tell his team mates as well as Kurenai that he was going to go hunt down Jiraiya for training, who was rumoured to be in town. Kurenai rubbed her temples.

"Remind me not to go to the bath houses until he's gone."

All three students looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"You'll see what I mean when you find him Naruto. When Kakashi said around, he meant around."

Naruto nodded as he said good bye to his team, promising to come back for visits when he could. He set off to Konoha's only hot springs, and went to the women's section, but instead of going inside, he took a detour around the outside, soon enough spotting a man peeking into the women's baths, giggling and scribbling notes onto a notepad. Naruto concealed his chakra and then snuck up on Jiraiya, before letting the chakra mask go, shocking the hell out of the Sannin. Jiraiya turned around to see a boy with sunkist blonde hair smiling lazily at him.

"What do you want, Gaki?"

"Supervise my training."

Jiraiya processed this for a second before he turned back to his 'research'.

"Yeah right kid. Do you even know who I am?"

Naruto smiled lazily at Jiraiya.

"My Otousan's Sensei."

This made Jiraiya's head whip around so fast that Naruto was amazed it hadn't fallen off.

"What did you say?"

"I said you were by father's Sensei."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"That's not funny, gaki."

"Neither is the fact you disappeared from my life almost thirteen years ago."

Now THAT got Jiraiya's attention. His eyes narrowed before realisation hit him when Naruto opened his eyes to reveal those sapphire blue orbs Jiraiya had known for so long. Coupled with the sun kissed blonde hair, there was only one person this could be.

"Naruto?"

Naruto smiled again.

"Yup."

Jiraiya wasn't sure about what to do. He'd been told that Naruto had died on the day of his birth, yet here he was, standing in front of him in the flesh, very real. Naruto saw the myriad of emotions wash over Jiraiya's face. Disbelief, confusion, anger, and finally, happiness. Jiraiya smiled at Naruto.

"Sorry about leaving you. I was told you died on the day of your birth. I took leave of Konoha because I had nothing left there for me. So, how's your life been?"

Naruto looked thoughtful.

"The first four years were hell. But Kakashi-Niisan adopted me after I turned four, and from them on, life's been pretty good."

Jiraiya nodded.

"Ok. Well, I guess I could teach you a few things... However, not here."

Jiraiya put his pen and notebook away, leading Naruto somewhere less populated.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Outside Konoha:**

Jiraiya had led Naruto to a waterfall not to far from the west gate of Konoha. Once they arrived, Jiraiya turned to Naruto.

"So, tell me what you can do."

Naruto nodded.

"Well, After Kakashi-Niisan adopted me; I got training from the four Jounin specialists. I learnt from them for 7 years. I can open 3 Celestial Gates, my Nin, Gen, Tai, Armed Tai and Fuuinjutsu are all extremely accomplished for my age, and I have three elemental affinities which are Fire, Lightning and Wind. I graduated from the academy with a perfect record; I have 8 D class missions, an A Class that was disguised as a C class and an ongoing S class. The only thing I have no skill in is Bloodline Jutsus, but then again, I've never been taught one."

Naruto became aware that Jiraiya's jaw was hanging down. Naruto looked at him in a bored fashion.

"Something wrong?"

Jiraiya closed his mouth and shook his head.

"No. I assume since you know about Arashi, you know about Kyuubi?"

Naruto nodded. Jiraiya though for a moment.

"How would you like to learn some Bloodline Jutsus?"

Naruto's eyes lit up and he nodded.

"We'll start you off with a relatively simple one. It's not so much a Bloodline Jutsu, as a jutsu handed down from student to pupil. The Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

Naruto nodded.

"Which species is the contract with?"

"The frogs."

Naruto nodded. He'd heard about one of the other Sannin summoning slugs, so frogs couldn't be too bad. Naruto nodded.

"Sounds good."

Jiraiya bit his thumb and formed the seals before summoning an orange frog that had a necklace on, with multiple swirling tattoos on its body. The frog unrolled its tongue and gave Naruto the summoning scroll. Naruto opened it to see several names in some sort of very traditional Japanese which he couldn't read. Naruto looked two spaces back from the one he would use and saw the name of Jiraiya there. The one closest to Naruto's spot had the name of Kazama Arashi. Naruto smiled sadly at this before he bit his thumb, writing his name with his blood before leaving his finger prints before standing up, looking at Jiraiya.

"Seals?"

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. Remember to bite your thumb before the seals."

Naruto nodded. He decided to start off with something small, so he bit his thumb and formed the seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Naruto slammed his palm onto the ground and when the smoke cleared, there was a small orange frog with some tattoos on it and a navy blue Gi. The frog looked up at him.

"Eh? Who're you? Never seen you before."

Naruto smiled at the frog.

"Name's Uzumaki Naruto."

"Gamakichi. If you want to play, give me a snack."

Naruto smiled as he pulled out a scroll and pulled a packet of chips out of one of the seals, opening it and handing it to the frog. The frog looked up at Naruto.

"When I said a snack, you didn't have to give me a packet of them. Still, you seem like a nice guy. Catch you round, Naruto!"

Gamakichi took the chips and 'poof'ed out of existence. Naruto decided to try something bigger, so he bit his thumb and started forming the seals. With the amount of chakra Naruto was channelling, Jiraiya warily stepped back. Naruto slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The entire area was covered in smoke and Naruto found himself on top of one VERY big frog. The frog had a scar running over its left eyelid. He had a navy blue Gi with a sword strapped to his side. Naruto looked at the frog, and the frog looked at him.

"**What're you doing on my head, Gaki? Where's Jiraiya?"**

Naruto looked lazily at him.

"I'm on your head because I summoned you. As for, Jiraiya, he's down there somewhere."

Gamabunta narrowed his eyes at Naruto before he burst out laughing.

"**You summon me, the great Gamabunta-Sama? Dream on, Gaki."**

Naruto smiled lazily at him. He knew how to deal with arrogant people like this.

"You're pretty stupid for a summon boss."

The frog's eyes narrowed again at Naruto.

"**Nanjato? Do you have any idea who you're talking to gaki?"**

"Yup. Someone who is unable to accept the fact that I summoned you. If you don't believe me, how about we make a bet to prove it?"

The frog smiled.

"**A bet? What are the conditions?"**

"You have to do your best to throw me off your head by sunset. If you do, I'll accept your judgement on whether I summoned you or not."

"**And if you win?"**

"You will allow me to summon you when I need to and you will listen to my orders."

"**That's stupid."**

"Afraid you'll lose?"

After having his credibility doubted like that, he decided to prove just how weak this kid was.

"**Fine. Don't blame me when you die, gaki!"**

Gamabunta proceeded to try and get Naruto off his head in every way he could. He shook his head from side to side, jumping up and down, going underwater, resurfacing and taking a leap before resubmerging. This lasted for hours until the sun finally set. Naruto looked down at Gamabunta, trying just managed to hide his exhaustion.

"I win, Gamabunta."

Gamabunta had to admit, this kid was good. He wasn't your average kid. He looked up at him.

"**Fine. I'll listen to you and you can summon me whenever you want. Don't let it go to your head, Naruto."**

Naruto nodded and hopped down and Gamabunta disappeared. Jiraiya came out and looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, we're done for the day. Come back here same time tomorrow."

"Sure thing."

Naruto walked off as Jiraiya went back to his 'research'.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, 10 am:**

Naruto had come back to the waterfall and spotted Jiraiya giggling as he peeked through some bushes. Naruto looked at him.

"I know you're a super pervert, but why do you peak whenever you get the opportunity?"

Jiraiya turned around.

"It gives me inspiration for my stories."

Naruto didn't like this. Not one bit.

"Stories? You wouldn't happen to be the author of-"

Naruto's question was answered when Jiraiya removed an all too familiar orange book from his clothes. Naruto sweat dropped.

"I knew it."

Jiraiya perked up at the Naruto's reaction.

"Oh? You've heard of this book?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Heard isn't the right word. My Niisan is always reading those damn things."

Jiraiya let out a restrained perverted giggle at the reaction.

_'Seems I'm getting pretty famous!'_

Naruto watched as Jiraiya put the book away and put on his business face.

"Naruto, today I'm going to teach you a jutsu that was invented by the Yondaime. The Rasengan."

Naruto's eyebrows raised at this. Naruto had heard tails from Kakashi about the Rasengan. Jiraiya pulled out a water balloon from one of two large shopping bags that he had with him and filled it with water before holding it out in front of him.

"Ok, the first stage. Basically, you have to try and pop this balloon using only chakra. It combines the principle of the tree climbing exercise, which I'm sure you've done, with the principle of the water walking exercise. Watch."

The balloon started stretching out at odd angles, as if something was struggling to get out. Finally, the balloon popped water going everywhere. Naruto looked on, trying to analyse what had just happened.

"To further explain it, like with the tree climbing exercise, you must maintain a constant amount of chakra by focusing your mind and keeping that concentration. With the water walking exercise, you were taught to release a fixed amount of chakra continuously. So, to do the first step of the Rasengan training, you have to combine those two exercises by creating a continuous flow, and once you have released it, control it. Anyways, I'll leave you to figure out how to apply it. Good luck, Naruto."

Jiraiya had given Naruto another filled water balloon and turned around when he heard the balloon pop. He stopped and slowly turned around to see that the balloon had indeed popped. Naruto smiled lazily.

"How long did Arashi take to make this jutsu again?"

Jiraiya didn't believe it. Naruto had just popped the balloon first try. Naruto looked at Jiraiya.

"The theory behind it is easy. I have very good chakra control. Adding several directions of chakra spin to the balloon isn't hard."

Jiraiya nodded slowly as he pulled out a pair of rubber balls from the other bag. Jiraiya passed one to Naruto.

"For stage two, you have to use 100 percent of your power to pop the rubber ball."

Jiraiya demonstrated this as the rubber ball mutated hideously before exploding. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

He held his ball and concentrated before the ball morphed hideously and then exploded, sending rock's and sand flying. Naruto smiled at Jiraiya who sweat dropped. This kid was scary. Jiraiya took out an empty water balloon and filled it up with air before sealing it. He threw it to Naruto and made another for himself.

"The third stage requires you to use all of the power from the second step and add the rotation from the first step. To successfully complete this level you have to maintain the Rasengan without the balloon popping."

Naruto nodded and concentrated. Jiraiya could sense that the Naruto had formed the Rasengan, and was maintaining it perfectly. Jiraiya felt ashamed. It had taken him one and a half months to learn the Rasengan, and Naruto had learnt all three steps in 3 goes. Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat. Naruto looked at Jiraiya.

"3 years? I assume he spent the majority of that time doing something else."

Jiraiya sighed. Arashi had only been inventing the Rasengan part time during those three years, but he had definitely not done it first try. Jiraiya had expected this to take up a good chunk of the time between now and the Main Matches of the Chuunin Exams.

_'Arashi, you created a genius, didn't you?'_

Jiraiya was fast running out of options. He decided to teach Naruto Swamp of the Underworld.

"Naruto, how do you think you can handle a Doton jutsu I invented?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have much skill for Doton jutsus, but I can try."

Jiraiya nodded. This should hold him off for a while.

"It's called Doton: Yomi Numa. Seals are Boar and Tiger. Give it a try."

Naruto nodded and formed the two seals, announcing the jutsu.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

The ground in a 30 meter diameter area darkened in colour before turning into a clay brown coloured liquid. Jiraiya smiled. It was going to be a long time until he mastered this one. Jiraiya watch over Naruto part of the day, spending the other part 'researching'. By the end of the day, Naruto had extended the swamp to 50 meters in diameter. As the final rays of sunlight diffusing through the atmosphere's many layers, which is usually associated with the red of a sunset or sunrise, turned a deep crimson, Jiraiya got up.

"Naruto, I'm going to get some rest. You coming?"

Naruto looked up, sweating and panting.

"I'll stay at this for several more hours. Same time?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

Naruto smiled lazily at Jiraiya.

"If I don't push myself to my limits, I can never improve. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jiraiya nodded.

_'He's even got your guts, Arashi. This kid's going surpass even you...'_

After another several hours which resulted in expanding the swamp by another few meters, Naruto noticed that the stars were out and the moon was hanging low in the sky. Naruto stretched and headed back to his apartment, dead tired from today's workout. When he got back, he had a short shower and crashed into bed.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A Week Later:**

By the end of the following week, Naruto had increased the diameter of the swamp to several hundred meters and to a depth of about 100 meters. Jiraiya admitted Naruto had satisfactory mastery over the jutsu and started to teach him the basics of Yondaime's modified Shushin no Jutsu. After several hours of explaining, Naruto tried it. He partially achieved it, however. Naruto was still partially disappearing with a regular burst of speed, but the barest flicker of yellow was seen when he activated and deactivated it. Naruto kept training for the rest of the day and well into the night after Jiraiya had left. By the end of the week, Naruto could do it to Jiraiya's satisfaction. Jiraiya had one jutsu that would help Naruto immensely.

"Naruto, I'm going to teach you one more jutsu and then introduce you to another one, which I will leave you to learn. This jutsu is called Hari Jizou. The reason I'm teaching you this is because your hair is long enough for it. To do it, just channel chakra to the roots of your hair and force it to grow into a hardened shield of spikes that will protect you from most Taijutsu attacks. This is how it's done."

Jiraiya formed a half ram seal and his hair exploded out in all directions, covering him in a way a hedgehog or echidna would if they rolled up into a ball. Naruto tried it and his hair slowly grew at first until he pumped more chakra into and his hair encased him in a shield much like Jiraiya's except blonde instead of white. Naruto let the jutsu go and looked at Jiraiya who smiled at him.

"You're something else, Naruto. I don't have the implements here to teach you the final jutsu. Meet here tomorrow one last time and I'll give you something that enabled your dad to do the Hiraishin."

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Catch you round."

Jiraiya nodded and went back to his 'research' leaving Naruto with a free day. He decided to go and meet up with his team.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Training Ground 19:**

Kurenai was teaching both Chouji and Shikamaru some theory behind some Genjutsu or another when Naruto walked up to them. They greeted him and after some small chat, Naruto asked how things were going with their training. Shikamaru looked up at the clouds.

"It's troublesome, but I'm starting to learn a few Genjutsu as well as another Nara clan jutsu."

Naruto nodded. Chouji smiled at Naruto.

"I'm really not that good with Genjutsu, but I'm learning the next Akimichi clan jutsu."

Naruto nodded as Kurenai looked at him.

"So, what have you learnt from Jiraiya, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled at her.

"The only area I had nothing in. Bloodline jutsus."

All three of their eyes widened. Naruto explained.

"I've signed a summon contract that both Jiraiya and my dad signed, I've also learnt two jutsus that my dad created and another two Jiraiya created. Tomorrow, I'm to learn a jutsu that my earnt my dad his name as the 'Yellow Flash of Konoha'"

At the last part, their eyes widened considerably.

"Hiraishin?"

Naruto nodded.

"I won't have it ready in time for the exam though."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

"Despite the fact that in the upcoming exam we're opponents, I still think you're friends before that. I need to speak to Niisan though, so I'll catch you round."

They waved goodbye to Naruto as he left the training field and headed to his apartment.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Naruto's Apartment:**

Naruto got home to see Kakashi taking a snooze in the chair. When Kakashi heard the door open, he looked up.

"Hey Naruto. You're back early."

Naruto shrugged.

"Jiraiya's not going to teach me anything until tomorrow."

Kakashi nodded.

"So, want some help?"

Naruto nodded.

"Is it possible for a person to sign more than one summoning contract?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"There's no strict rule against it, however, it's not common practice. I take it you signed the contract with the toads?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well, I have no qualms about letting you sign the canine contract; however, it's up to them to accept you."

Naruto nodded as Kakashi led Naruto outside to the enclosed garden of the apartments which was really nothing more than a square patch of lawn. Kakashi bit his thumb and formed the seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The smoke cleared and a fairly large dog was there. He wore a navy blue Gi and wore sunglasses as well as a Konoha Hitai-ate. The dog dropped the scroll and Kakashi opened it. Naruto didn't recognise any other names apart from Kakashi. Naruto bit his thumb and signed his name next to Kakashi's, ending in his finger prints. Naruto realised his problem. If he summoned the boss of the canines here, he'd destroy several of the apartment complexes. So he looked to Kakashi who smiled.

"Go summon him where there's a bit more space."

Naruto nodded and walked off to a training ground that was usually empty. Today was no different so he went into the centre and bit his thumb, moulded a massive amount of chakra and slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

After the smoke cleared, Naruto was looking into the eyes of a rather large wolf with grey fur that had a hint of blue in it. The wolf looked at him.

"**Who're you? You better have a good explanation as to why you're on my head, gaki."**

Naruto smiled in his lazy fashion.

"I summoned you."

The wolf narrowed its eyes. It grinned before letting lose a barking laugher.

"**You summon me? Do you expect me to believe that?"**

Naruto sweat dropped. Were all summon bosses like this? He decided to show this 'boss' just who he was dealing with.

"I'll prove I summoned you"

Naruto jumped off the wolf's head and bit his thumb, forming the seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A huge cloud of smoke wrapped around the new figure, before revealing Gamabunta. The two summon bosses stared at each other. Naruto smiled at the wolf; however, he was almost completely exhausted of chakra. Summoning two summon bosses was not a feat to be sneezed at. The wolf looked at Gamabunta.

"**Hisashiburi dana, Gamabunta."**

"**Indeed it has, Fenrir. Almost 200 years. Let me guess, Naruto summoned me to prove he summoned you."**

Fenrir smiled in that feral manner that all canines did.

"**I know who summoned me, I just wanted to see if the gaki was worthy of summoning me."**

At that point, Naruto fell to his knees, panting and sweating. Fenrir looked at Naruto.

"**I'm amazed a human his age can summon two summon bosses at all, let alone not dying from complete chakra exhaustion. Listen Naruto, canines pride themselves on their loyalty. Remember that. As you humans say, 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'. I'll let you summon my pack for now, but until you prove your loyalty, you may not summon me, are we clear? If you do, your signature of the canine contract is void."**

Naruto nodded.

"Sure thing."

Fenrir poofed out of existence, leaving Naruto with Gamabunta. Gamabunta looked up at Naruto.

"**I'm getting out of here. The kids are waiting for me back home."**

Naruto nodded and jumped down as Gamabunta raised a webbed hand.

"**Ja."**

Gamabunta disappeared as Naruto collapsed, panting. Little did Naruto know that there was a very livid Uchiha staring at him from the edge of the training field.

_'Where does Naruto get so much power?'_

Naruto lay there, recovering his chakra for the better part of the day. At about nightfall, Naruto got up and headed home. He really needed to prove his loyalty to the canines. He didn't know when he might need Fenrir's help. Naruto opened the door to see Kakashi smiling at him.

"I'm sure most of the Jounins of Konoha felt that Naruto. No wonder you look like that. I suggest taking it easy for a while."

Naruto nodded as he made himself a cup of instant ramen, to tired to make anything fancy. Once he'd eaten it with Kakashi eating his miso soup, Naruto excused himself and took a shower before throwing his clothes into the laundry basked in his room and hit the sack.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Weeks & Four Days Later:**

It was the day of the Chuunin main matches. There were a few clouds in the sky, apart from that, it was a perfect day. Everyone was living the hype usually associated with such a big tournament. People specifically wanted to see how both years' top rookies would do, namely Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto. People still had some reservations about Naruto, but they would see what he was capable of before passing their final judgement. The examinees walked in through the large gate at ground level and stood facing the stands of people which were packed to capacity. Everyone's favourite senbon chewing Jounin, Shiranui Genma stood facing the examinees.

"You guys are the reason everyone has gathered. Like with the preliminaries, the rules are the same, even if the terrain is different. You will fight each other until one gives up, is unable to fight or dies. Remember, if I decide to stop the match, you will listen to me."

They nodded as the Hokage welcomed the crowd.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first biannual Chuunin Exam finals. We will now begin the main matches between the finalists. Please enjoy the show."

Genma turned back to the Chuunin hopefuls.

"First match is between Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba. The rest of you, go up to the waiting room until it's your turn."

The other six left the arena for the waiting room. Kiba smiled at Naruto.

"It's been a while since we went against each other in anything but a friendly spar, eh Naruto?"

Naruto smiled.

"Yup."

Genma made the announcement.

"Then, first match; Hajime!"

The crowd roared their approval as the two competitors stood stone still, gauging each other's reactions. After a full minute of tension filled silence, Kiba smirked and hurled four kunai at Naruto who dodged to the left, letting them impact the wall. Kiba formed a ram seal and used one of his clan jutsus.

"Gijyuu Ninpou: Shikyaku no Jutsu!"

Kiba's fingernails extended as his chakra morphed his body. Kiba disappeared in a blur of speed and reappeared next to Naruto, engaging in a ferocious Taijutsu match. Naruto noticed Kiba's speed had improved dramatically, and Naruto had to block about half the punches and kicks while he dodged the rest. The crowd was captivated as Naruto danced through the air avoiding Kiba's blows and blocking the ones he couldn't. Kiba knew that by himself, he wasn't going to get anywhere with this so he disappeared and reappeared next to Akamaru.

"Akamaru!"

The dog barked and jumped onto Kiba's back before transforming into a clone of Kiba.

"Juujin Bunshin!"

Both of them charged in, reappearing in front of and behind Naruto. Naruto saw his predicament. Blocking one Kiba's blows was hard enough. Two would be impossible. Before either of them could land a punch, Naruto formed a single hand seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A lot of the crowd's eyes widened as a perfect copy of Naruto appeared beside him and took on Akamaru while the real Naruto took on Kiba. Naruto was trying to slowly separate the pair, as together; they were a force to be reckoned with. The four fighters on the field continued to exchange blows until Akamaru got lucky and punched the clone in the stomach through a hole in the clone's defences, dispelling it. Akamaru went back to help his master with the real Naruto. Naruto saw his predicament and just as they were about to land a blow on him, he turned into a flash of yellow light and just vanished. Both Kiba and Akamaru stumbled before gaining their footing to see Naruto reappear with the same yellow flash at the other end of the field. Everyone just stared. Murmurs of 'Hiraishin' and 'Yellow Flash' could be heard through out the audience. Kiba looked at Naruto with wide eyes.

"Wha... What was that?"

Naruto smiled at Kiba.

"A modified version of the Shushin no Jutsu unique to Konoha."

Kiba tried to regain his senses as both he and Akamaru took out eight shuriken each. He hurled them at Naruto to prepare for the next attack.

"Every time I see you, you just get faster, Naruto. Akamaru! Let's go! GATSUUGA!"

Naruto dodged the shuriken as both Kiba and Akamaru turned into grey cyclones as they crisscrossed the field, ripping up the ground as they tried to confuse Naruto where they would attack from. After a few seconds, they broke off and tried to hit Naruto from two different directions. Naruto jumped out of the way only to see both of them come at him again while he was still in mid air unable to block.

"I see a weak spot!"

Both cyclones slammed into Naruto and then broke out as Naruto fell to the ground, not moving.

"Gotcha."

Naruto poofed into a log that had one of the larger varieties of explosive notes attached to it and Kiba's eyes widened as the note fizzled down to it's last part and exploded, sending Kiba and Akamaru flying back into the stadium wall. The impact dispelled Akamaru's Henge and they both looked at Naruto who had reappeared in the middle of the stadium. Kiba grit his teeth from the pain when he decided to use his last resort.

"Akamaru, we're going to use 'it'. Let's go."

Akamaru got up and Kiba charged at Naruto and grabbed onto his arm before Naruto had the chance to move.

"Now, Akamaru!"

Akamaru jumped into the air and span, urinating all over the area as Naruto narrowed his eyes. Dogs urinated on things to mark them. Naruto used another Kawarimi to replace himself with a log, but still got hit with a small amount of the urine.

"Dynamic marking. Seiko. Now Akamaru! Jinju Konbi Henge: Sotoro!"

Both Akamaru and Kiba were surrounded by a cloud of smoke which cleared to reveal a massive white wolf with two heads. The wolf had crimson eyes and was salivating like mad. Both heads looked at Naruto and let the hint of a smile touch their lips. Naruto smiled as he did the two hand seals for a jutsu.

"We won't let you!"

Naruto slammed his palms onto the ground as the white wolf ran at Naruto.

"Doton: Yomi Noma!"

The ground of the entire stadium turned into a see of ochre red liquid which was like glue. It stopped the double headed wolf in its tracks as it began sinking.

"Gah, what is this?"

Naruto stood up.

"It's a Doton Jutsu. This swamp is about one hundred meters deep. The more you struggle, the faster you sink."

The wolf smiled.

"Like quicksand, huh? But did you count on this? Garoga!"

The wolf began spinning and sending the red liquid everywhere as it turned into a white and blue tornado. Naruto narrowed his eyes, realising there was only one option left. He muttered 'kai', returning the ground to its original state and bit his thumb and formed the seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The smoke cleared to reveal a mainly grey frog with an orange back slightly larger than the wolf that wore a green Gi and had a very long katana strapped to its back. The frog saw the danger as it pulled the blade off its back and met the attack. The tornado kept going, pushing the frog towards the wall. The wolf jumped back and prepared for another go. If the frog hit the wall, it was over, so Naruto looked at the frog when an idea struck him.

"Can you give me a short burst of oil?"

The frog nodded and his cheeks puffed up and Naruto formed two hand seals.

"Katon: Kyuukyoku Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

Naruto's fireball hit the oil and the arena exploded into flames as the crowd winced at the massive amount of heat the fireball generated, even from their seats. The fireball lasted all of 3 seconds as it washed over the wolf, doing just enough damage to dispel the Henge and leave both of them on the ground, suffering from exhaustion, but only minor burns that were easily treatable. Naruto thanked the toad as it left. Naruto walked up to Kiba, who smirked at Naruto.

"That was clever. I didn't expect you to use any of those jutsus, especially not that last one. So, how do I rate?"

Naruto smiled.

"Kiba that was a great match. You forced me to reveal three new jutsus in the first match. I didn't make the fireball last long enough to permanently damage you, as I know when I have to use terminal force. And a match with a close friend, not matter how serious it is, is not the time to use that sort of power. I expect your family to be proud of you. I am. Good work... my friend."

Kiba smiled at the recognition as he passed out. Genma smirked.

"Shousha, Uzumaki Naruto."

The crowd went wild as Naruto walked up to the contestants box, where he got pats on the back from Chouji and Shikamaru, a nod from Shino and Neji and an 'explosion of youth' comment from Lee. Naruto noticed Gaara had a rather manic expression on his face, one of a person who was just restraining himself from lashing out. The Rookies and their Jounin instructors were not only amazed at Naruto's power, but also in his sense of judgement he showed when dealing with Kiba's very damaging attack. Kurenai was most impressed with Naruto.

_'Naruto... You're growing up so fast... So mature at such a young age... You really are something else...'_

When the crowd settled down, Genma announced the next match.

"Second match contestants come down."

Shikamaru and Chouji went down to the arena and looked at each other. Chouji smiled warmly at his team mate.

"Come on, Shikamaru. Ganbatte."

"Same to you, Chouji."

"Second match is between Nara Shikamaru and Akimitchi Chouji. Hajime."

Chouji started off as he formed a seal and used a trademark family jutsu.

"Baika no Jutsu!"

Chouji pulled his limbs and head in, letting out plumes of chakra as he announced the next part of the combo.

"Nikudan Sensha!"

Chouji flew up into the air and began spinning. Shikamaru looked scared as Chouji came rolling at him with his favourite mantra.

"Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!"

Shikamaru leapt out of the way and into the trees nearby as Chouji rolled past him, clearly enjoying himself. Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

Chouji came straight back at the tree and Shikamaru dodged as Chouji snapped the tree like a twig. Shikamaru saw his chance as he landed.

"Kagemane no Jutsu!"

Shikamaru's shadow stretched out and caught Chouji who stopped spinning. Shikamaru smirked.

"Knowing you, Chouji, you wouldn't let me catch you like that unless you had a reason."

Chouji smirked as he returned to normal size. Chouji had found that the Nara's Kagemane no Jutsu may stop your body's movements, but it did not stop you from channelling chakra. Chouji was surrounded by a wave of chakra which concentrated around his arm as he announced his jutsu.

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu Konbi!"

Shikamaru lost control of his Kagemane from the rather large aura of power coming off Chouji while his right arm and hand grew to a disproportionate size, bringing the appendage around in a fast sweep of the area.

"Ude!"

Shikamaru jumped above the sweep and Chouji returned his arm to normal while he started the next part the combo.

"Hagi!"

Chouji brought his right leg up and it grew in size as he brought it down on Shikamaru's prone airborne form. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he realised he was about to be flattened. Since he wasn't on the ground, Shikamaru couldn't use his clan jutsus so he performed a Kawarimi with a branch from the tree Chouji had destroyed. The thick branch was shattered to splinters as Chouji withdrew his leg. Chouji jumped out of the way as he felt Shikamaru's shadow racing up behind him. Chouji hopped and skipped with agility that belied his size as the shadow tendril chased after him. Chouji noticed that Shikamaru wouldn't be able to extend his shadow much further and after one last jump, the tendril stopped. Shikamaru sighed as he withdrew his shadow and put his hands together in his 'thinking' pose. Chouji used this time to pull out a scroll and procure a bag of chips, which he hurriedly ate to regain his chakra and pulled out a special Akimichi food pill, increasing his chakra capacity temporarily. Shikamaru finished his thinking and gave Chouji his 'Shougi face'. Chouji smiled.

"Are we going to get serious now, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah."

Chouji smiled as he prepared his new jutsu by releasing a massive wave of chakra that surrounded him in a blue shell and announced his jutsu.

"Chou Baika no Jutsu!"

Shikamaru sweat dropped as did the majority of the audience as Chouji grew absurdly huge and pulled out a scroll that was not one Naruto had given him, procuring a rather large wooden pole from it. Chouji flipped the scroll back up and put it away before he proceeded to use the pole to slam it onto the ground when Shikamaru was. Shikamaru had not expected this and he hurried to amend his plans. Shikamaru continued dodging Chouji's attacks before he had an idea. Shikamaru dodged the latest attack and jumped onto the pole before using chakra to make sure he stuck to it. Chouji's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to shake Shikamaru off it, which he almost succeeded in doing as Shikamaru slapped a number of explosive notes to it and jumped clear as Chouji brought the weapon around for a final swing. During this time, Chouji was aware that Shikamaru had placed something on his ankles and looked down to see several explosive notes and stopped the pole above his head. Shikamaru chuckled.

"My clan jutsus are useless against you in this state. However, in exchange for size and power, you sacrifice a great deal of agility. While you brought it around for the final swing, it gave me several seconds to attach explosive notes to your ankles. You would have killed me and I would have killed you. Good match, Chouji."

Chouji smiled as he returned to regular size and Shikamaru diffused the notes. Genma smiled.

"This match has ended in a tie; no one progressed to round two from this match."

The group cheered and applauded the pair as they left the battle field. Up in the stands, Kakashi turned to Kurenai.

"All your students are progressing rapidly. It's not surprising they made it this far."

Kurenai nodded in acknowledgement as they exchanged a few more words before Genma announced the next match.

"Next matches contestants, get down here."

Both Shino and Neji came down and faced off. Both of them calm, cool and collected. Shino with his hands in his pockets while Neji had his hands at his sides. This was one of the two fights the majority of people had come to see. Genma looked at each of them, seeing they were ready, he started the match.

"Third match is between Hyuuga Neji and Aburame Shino. Hajime."

Both of them remained still. Everyone in the crowd held their breath before Neji smirked.

"Naruto has a lot of confidence in your abilities, from what he has told me of you. I wish to see why."

Shino didn't move a muscle as he spoke.

"Naruto also speaks quite highly of you."

Neji smiled as he got into his Jyuken stance but Shino did not get into any stance. Neji activated his Byuakugan and charged Shino, leaving afterimages behind him. Shino raised hands to let his bugs free, but he could not do so in time as Neji struck his heart with his extended hand. Shino collapsed to the floor and burst into bugs, making Neji jump back. Neji saw Shino behind him sending a wave of bugs at him. Neji knew from his research that these bugs ate a person's chakra, so he decided to test the theory in the most extreme circumstances. He got down and released chakra from all his Tenketsu spinning like a top.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

The bugs collided with the spinning wall of chakra and consumed a small amount of it before they were shredded to pieces. Eventually, both parties stopped their assault/defence to minimise their losses. Neji knew that these bugs lived on chakra, and with his Byuakugan could see that the bugs were eating Shino's chakra as well, leaving him with minimal chakra to use for jutsus. Neji saw a weakness in the Aburame method. As long as the bugs could not feed on chakra, they would not listen to him. So, Neji prepared for his clan's ultimate jutsu. He got into a stance which the Hyuugas in the audience recognised immediately.

"This is it. You are within range of my Divination."

Shino raised an eyebrow at this claim as Neji prepared for the jutsu.

"Jyuukenhou: Hakke Rokujyuuyonshou!"

Neji charged in and delved the first two strikes with blinding precision and speed.

"Hakke: Nishou!"

Shino stumbled back as Neji danced acrobatically, delivering the next two.

"Yonshou!"

Shino continued to stumble back as Neji pounded him with the next wave.

"Hashou!"

"Juurokushou!"

"Sanjuunishou!"

"Rokujuuyonshou!"

Neji pumped a lot of chakra into the combo and sent Shino flying back as he smirked. However, Neji was suddenly aware that his chakra was declining far more rapidly than it should. He looked at his hands and arms to see them covered in bugs. He also saw that from his legs came a trail of bugs that led to a small mound in the arena. Neji gasped.

"When did you..."

Shino got to his hands and knees, obviously in a lot of pain as he answered.

"Each time you sealed a tenketsu, I placed a large number of bugs onto your fingers. My clan not only have control over the bugs within us, but also bugs in the area that we have communicated with before. I came here for the past month almost every day to communicate and form a treaty with the nest of Kikai bugs living here. As long as they have some chakra to eat, whether it is my own or my opponents, they will do as I ask them. Both of our clan techniques are ill suited for each other. We both rely on chakra. Both of our clans concentrate on stopping the opponent's chakra flow. The best we could have hoped for was a tie, which is what happened."

Neji fell to his knees as his chakra dropped to dangerously low levels. Shino continued panting as they both dropped to the ground, unconscious. Genma observed them before announcing the result.

"Neither opponent is able to fight. No one progresses from this round."

Despite the result, the audience was content. Genma called the last contestants of the first round forward.

Gaara used Suna Shushin to get to the arena while Rock Lee jumped over the railing. Rock Lee got into his Gouken style while Gaara stood motionless. Genma started it off.

"Fourth and final match of round one between Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara. Hajime."

Lee's eyes widened as he caught the cork of Gaara's gourd which Gaara had flung projected at him very discretely.

"Please don't be too hasty."

Lee crushed the cork and dropped it to the ground as he charged forward and launched into a Taijutsu assault. Gaara's sand rose to protect him and Gaara never moved. After several more kicks and punches, Lee leapt into the air and launched several shuriken at Gaara, whose sand caught it and turned into a Suna Bunshin. The Suna Bunshin threw them back at Lee and Lee threw two more to cancel the attacks out. Lee ran in and tried several more attacks before he confirmed his suspicions. He would not be able to land a hit at this speed. Lee looked up into the crowd and saw Gai, who nodded. Lee smiled and jumped backwards before reaching into his orange leg warmers and pulled out weights. Naruto smiled. The looks on everyone's faces would be priceless. Lee held the weights up; displaying each weight had the Kanji for 'Guts' on it.

"Yosh! I can move much easier now!"

Lee dropped the weights and the section of the arena around Lee was surrounded in a cloud of smoke as the weights hit the ground. Naruto saw everyone's expression and laughed. He only wished he had his camera here with him. Naruto stopped his laughter and mentally groaned when he hear Gai shout out to his student.

"Ike! LEE!"

"OSSU!"

Lee charged at Gaara with blinding speed that shocked everyone. Lee punched at Gaara's Suna no Tate, breaking through it and disappearing, leaving a whistling noise in the air from the speed he was moving. He proceeded to smash the sand shield in places, leaving Gaara wide eyed and looking frantically for Lee. Finally, Lee aimed a straight punch and smashed Gaara in the face, sending him sprawling. When he got back up, Gai could be heard with another one of his cheesy lines with matching Genjutsu that even Kurenai couldn't make sense of, making everyone in the general vicinity rather afraid of the man.

"SAYSHOHA! BAKUHATSU DA!"

"OSSU!"

Lee's eyes caught fire as he charged in again and proceeded to land several more hits on Gaara before Lee noticed that his attacks were having little effect, possibly because of the fact that Gaara had sand covering his face. Gaara's face twisted into a grin that can only be associated with serial killers and madmen. The sand replaced itself and Gaara looked at Lee.

"Come."

Lee knew his only option left to get rid of that sand was to apply high damage from above the sand, so he undid the medical tape around his hands and prepared for his move.

"Prepare yourself!"

Lee charged in and created a ring of dirt around Gaara from running as fast as he was. Gaara was wary.

"Hurry up and come."

"As you wish!"

Lee broke out of the ring and gave Gaara a savage kick to the chin, but Gaara would not float.

"I'm not done yet!"

Lee pushed himself off the ground with his hands and proceeded to give Gaara a sickening combo of kicks that resounded through out the stadium. The sand tried futilely to catch up to its master as Lee continued high into the sky. After the last one, Lee froze from the pain and shut his eyes before regaining his resolve, wrapping the bandaged around Gaara, grabbing hold of him and began spinning until they were a blur.

"Take this! Omote Renge!"

The pair crashed into the ground, making it shatter under the impact, kicking up a huge cloud of dust and throwing rocks everywhere. Lee landed beside the crater, breathing heavily.

"That should have hurt..."

Lee noticed that part of Gaara's face crack and fall in, revealing nothing but an empty shell of sand. The whole body lost its colour and disintegrated, much to everyone's chagrin.

"N... Nani?"

Lee turned around to see Gaara rise from the ground and smirk at him, laughing manically. Gaara formed a ram seal and smirked as the sand shot upwards before slamming into Lee, making him scream out in pain. Naruto knew that after opening the first gate like that, Lee was in no position to dodge from the pain it inflicted to his body. Naruto was forced to watch Gaara for the next fifteen minutes toy with Lee before Lee looked up into the crowd and let a tear shed from his eye. Naruto could tell without looking that Gai was smiling at him. If this was any indication, this was bad. Very bad. Lee regained his speed, much to everyone's amazement. Lee stared at Gaara.

"Gai-Sensei is smiling for me. That alone is enough to make me stronger. Far stronger."

Naruto's eyes bulged. He was going to use his most powerful move! In what to others was extremely uncharacteristic, Naruto yelled out to Lee.

"LEE! DON'T YOU DARE USE THAT MOVE! YOU'LL DIE!"

Everyone stared at Naruto. Those close to him felt the waves of fear rolling off him and knew what he was saying was true.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-Kun, but I have to. The condition to use it has been met."

Lee focussed himself and was surrounded by a column of chakra infused wind. Gaara was unfazed.

"I don't know what you're doing, but this is the end for you."

"True. Either way, this move will decide everything."

Gaara straightened and his hair began to rustle from the amount of wind Lee's chakra was displacing.

" Naruto-Kun... I cannot be the only one who loses here... Gai-Sensei... Please acknowledge this... Now is the time...'"

The rocks on the ground began lifting into the air and breaking as Lee concentrated further. Naruto saw that Lee's body was undergoing the transformation of the second gate, the Energy Gate. His body was turning red. Chakra began surging off Lee uncontrollably as he revealed himself in all his glory. Pupiless white eyes, hair standing on end and red skin.

"**'TO ABIDE BY, AND PROTECT MY WAY OF THE NINJA'! The third gate, the Life Gate... KAI!"**

Lee began growling as his body was covered by a green aura and the chakra wind surrounded him turned blood red, while regular blue chakra surrounded him in a double helix shape. Lee squatted as he opened the next gate.

"**Now, for the fourth gate, the Wound Gate! KAI!"**

Lee was now screaming an unearthly scream as his body pulsed with power. He ducked and then charged at Gaara, ripping the ground up from under him as he kicked Gaara and the stadium was covered in dust which cleared to reveal Gaara flying up into the air with Lee no where to be seen. Naruto focused chakra to his eyes to assist them in seeing Lee's movements as a lot of Chuunins and Jounins in the audience were doing.

"**The armour of sand again? Then how about this?"**

Lee used a modified version of Shushin unique to him and Gai to reappear in front of Gaara and smashed him towards the ground, releasing a visible shockwave before using the Shushin to get behind Gaara and smashed him again up into the air again. This process repeated for well over three minutes until Lee got above him and prepared for the final attack.

"**This is the end! Fifth gate, the Forest Gate... KAI!"**

Lee was surrounded by a faint blue glow for a second before he charged at Gaara. Gaara tried to block but Lee used the Shushin one more time to get under Gaara's guard and punch him in the stomach sending him to the ground, but caught him from the bandages he had wrapped around his waist to pull him back up.

"**Take this! URA RENGE!"**

Lee slammed his right fist and foot into Gaara with all the strength he had left, watching him as he plummeted to earth, letting off cloud of dust and rock that again covered the stadium and Naruto saw Lee roll out of the cloud and come to a complete stop. When the cloud of dust dissipated, everyone saw Gaara surrounded by a small shield of sand that had protected him just enough to save his life. He was breathing heavily as he raised his hand shakily at Lee and sent a wave of sand at him while Lee tried pitifully to get out of the way. He couldn't even get out of the way with his muscles ripped and the sand closed in on Lee when it exploded outwards. When it cleared, everyone saw Naruto there, glaring at Gaara. Gaara looked at him.

"Why? Why did you save him?"

"Because, unlike you, I know when to stop a fight. Lee's muscles have been completely ripped to pieces. He is incapable of defending himself and you try and kill him. To me, Lee is an important friend I am willing to die for. If that means killing you to ensure he'll live, so be it."

Gaara stiffened as he clutched his head and moaned in pain. Naruto stared at Gaara as he shakily got up, the gourd reforming on his back. Gaara started walking off as Genma announced the winner.

"Shousha-"

Everyone gasped as Naruto turned around to see Lee standing, his knees shaking, standing in his Gouken Style. Naruto ran to Lee.

"Lee, Yamero! You've done enough-"

Naruto gasped as his eyes began water before he saw what had really happened.

"Lee... Lee, you're still trying even after you've lost consciousness? I don't believe it... Lee... You're stronger than I could ever be..."

"Shousha: Gaara."

Gai appeared on the field and hugged Lee gently as he laid him on the ground. Naruto saw the medics rushing onto the field as they began checking Lee. After about thirty seconds, they made their analysis.

"Gai-San, Lee's injuries are severe. It's amazing he's still alive. If Naruto-San had not stopped that attack, this boy would most likely be dead now. With these injuries, it will take several months to heal with all of our current specialists working on him."

Gai nodded solemnly as they carted Lee off to the medical facilities of the stadium to stabilise him before moving him to the hospital to receive emergency treatment. Genma turned back to the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as with all Chuunin Exam finals, we will now have a one hour recess between the rounds."

Slowly, people started getting up and leaving the stands to go to the bathroom, buy food and drink and stretch their muscles. All talk was of Naruto and Lee. Naruto left to check up on Lee when he got there, the medics saw him and one came over to him.

"Naruto-San, thank you for stepping in for Lee. If he had been hit with that sand, he would never have been able to be a shinobi again."

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"Can I see him?"

The medic nodded and led Naruto into the room where Neji, Tenten and Gai were watching the medics working on Lee. They turned to Naruto. Gai began crying as he hugged Naruto, who stiffened.

"Naruto-Kun! You are the epitome of youth! Thank you for saving Lee!"

Naruto nodded.

"No problem, Gai-Sensei..."

"Is there anything I can do for you to repay you for such a glorious display of youthfulness?"

Naruto could think of one thing and only one thing.

"Um... How about letting go of... me? It's kinda hard to breathe..."

Gai let go of Naruto and he gasped for air. Gai smiled at Naruto.

"My appologies, Naruto-Kun!"

They chatted for a bit longer before Naruto decided to go see the others.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**5 Minutes Later, in the Shops of the Stadium:**

All of the Rookie Genin and their Jounin senseis except Sasuke had decided to get something to eat, settling for barbeque. They had taken their seat and were about to make their orders when Naruto walked in. Kiba called out to him.

"Oi, Naruto! Over here!"

All conversation in the store stopped as they turned to see Naruto walking over to the long table and took a seat next to Kurenai.

"Hey guys."

Ino looked at Naruto in awe.

"Naruto, what was that last move in your match? I've never seen anything like it!"

Naruto smiled at her as he made his order and explained.

"I knew that ninja frogs of a certain rank and above are able to produce oil, so I decided to use a Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu in tandem with the oil to make a giant fireball and tried and knock Kiba and Akamaru out of their Henge, but not damage them enough to seriously hurt them."

Kiba laughed.

"So you invented that on the spot?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Invented is probably not the right word. I think 'rediscovered' is better. Considering all of the names I saw on the scroll of the frog contract, I'd be amazed if one of them hadn't done something similar before."

Kiba smiled.

"You're something else, Naruto. I'm not surprised I lost."

"Don't put yourself down Kiba. As I said, the fact that you forced me reveal three of the five jutsus I learnt during the last month says you're good. If I hadn't learnt those jutsus, I wouldn't be surprised if I had lost. When you used the Garoga, you seemed to be spinning faster than your regular Gatsuuga. Is that why you marked me with Akamaru? Because you were spinning to fast to see?"

Kiba's eyes widened.

"Yeah. So, what did you think of it?"

Naruto smiled.

"To tell you the truth, I was scared witless when I saw you spinning at me. If you had hit me, no matter how good I was, I would have been dead. It must take a great deal of chakra to maintain that form and maintain the spin. As a last resort, I'd say it's like Lee's Ura Renge. Uses up a massive amount of chakra and after it, you won't be able to fight. Use it wisely, Kiba."

Kiba nodded at the breakdown of the jutsu and Naruto's advice, taking it to heart. At the mention of Lee, Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

"How is he?"

Naruto turned serious.

"The doctors say if I hadn't jumped down there, he'd be dead now. Lee's muscles have been completely torn to shreds and his bones have suffered minute fractures. With all of the nurses and doctors helping him, he should recover in about three or four months. That's why I didn't want him to use that jutsu. When Gai was teaching it to Lee and explained the effects, he offered to teach it to me, but I declined. I wouldn't be willing to go that far to defeat an enemy. After seeing how Gaara survived it, I'm glad I didn't. 'A player who obtains a Pyrrhic victory cannot move their piece forward'. Lee unfortunately never realised that until now. Luckily, he'll get the chance to learn from that lesson."

Shikamaru nodded. The meat for their orders arrived and was placed in front of them as they took several pieces of meat and placed them on the multiple cooking racks that covered a barbeque that was attached to the underside of the table. After their meat had cooked, they picked it up and ate it, placing more meat on the cooker as they continued chatting. After about 35 minutes, a message played over the loud speaker.

"_The next round matches will begin in 10 minutes. Will all competitors please report back to the waiting box? Thank you."_

Naruto polished off the last piece of meat and sighed in contentment. Most of them were staring at the speed with which Naruto ate. He never even lowered his mask for long enough for them to see his face. He noticed them staring at him and smiled.

"I learnt from the best. Niisan can polish off a large bowl of ramen in less than 3 seconds. Pieces of meat like this are no problem for me."

Everyone sweat dropped as Naruto smiled.

"One day, I'll show you guys my face. Not yet though."

They nodded as they paid for their own meals and left. Naruto separated from the rest of them and headed towards the members' entrance, his friends wishing him luck. Once he got there, he saw Gaara was already there. There was only one match left. Uzumaki Naruto VS Sabaku no Gaara

"Naruto, Gaara, you two're up."

They both went down to the arena and stood facing each other.

"Finals, Uzumaki Naruto VS Sabaku no Gaara. Hajime."

Genma jumped back as Naruto glared at Gaara.

"That was a cowardly thing you did before. Didn't you feel any remorse whatsoever?"

"No. The reason for my existence is to kill everyone in the world besides me. While there are people in the world to let me feel that, the world is wonderful."

Naruto sighed. This guy was one nut case.

"That love symbol on your forehead is rather ironic isn't? What exactly do you 'love', apart from killing people?"

"I love only myself and fight only for myself. That is what makes me so powerful. That kind of loneliness is what makes you strong."

Naruto smiled lazily at him.

"You're not the type of guy to see the truth unless I beat it into you."

"Try me, Uzumaki Naruto."

"With pleasure."

Naruto used his modified version of Shushin to slug Gaara in the face, sending him flying into to wall of the stadium.

"Gaara, I know that I will have to show you jutsus that I have never shown people before. You are indeed strong, but not because of loneliness. You are strong because of what you are."

Gaara's eyes widened. Naruto was going to call him a monster.

"You a strong because you are the container for a greater demon. It took a while to figure out that that demonic chakra was and I finally identified it if your fight against Lee. You're the container for the Ichibi no Shukaku. It's a sad fate, one that the containers get no say in. However, if you truly want to become strong, use the demon's destructive powers to defend your friends. That way, it shows you have more will power than the demon you contain instead of murdering everyone left right and centre."

"SHUT UP!"

Gaara was clutching his head and screaming in agony as the Suna no Yoroi started cracking and Gaara shook his head from side to side until his gourd started cracking and formed some sort of veiny appendage that grew over his right hand and right side of his face.

"You are my PREY!"

Gaara extended his modified hand and tried to crush Naruto who jumped out of the way. Gaara proceeded to wreak havoc as he laughed manically.

"Are you scared of me, Uzumaki Naruto? Do you fear my existence? Show me this 'true power' you speak of! Confirm it! Confirm your existence! Attack me!"

"As you wish."

Naruto held out his right hand and the chakra condensed into it, forming a sphere that looked like a miniature typhoon. There was a collective murmur in the crowd as Naruto announced the name of the jutsu.

"Rasengan."

Naruto charged at Gaara and Gaara charged at him. Naruto aimed the Rasengan at Gaara's chest as it impacted and Naruto let the Rasengan grow in size by releasing a little bit if control over it's form. Gaara screamed in agony as the Rasengan surrounded him in a sphere of while light that took him to the far wall, ripping up the ground in its path before it exploded against the wall.

"This Gaara is the kind of power that will make you strong. The kind of power that you use to protect your friends."

Gaara started laughing as he got up, the severely damaged area of his stomach regenerating so fast it was visible.

"I see. This is the kind of pain that makes me feel alive. You are truly interesting, Uzumaki Naruto! By killing you, I can get an even stronger sensation of life!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Gaara completed the transformation and glared at Naruto. Naruto bit his thumb and formed the seals as he concentrated on which animal he wanted to bring out.

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke about twice the size of a human appeared and from it was something that looked to be half dog, half wolf. The canine looked up at him.

"So, you're that new kid? What do you want?"

Naruto pointed to Gaara and the canine's eyes narrowed.

"Is that... Shukaku?"

"His container."

"I see. Well, let's move, pup!"

The canine charged at Gaara who extended his hand far too fast for either of them to see as Naruto was knocked off his summon and the Summon was slammed up against the wall while Gaara separated his hand from his arm, regrowing it.

"Show me, Uzumaki Naruto. Show me you are willing to die for your friends. If you don't defeat me, the sand holding that canine will slowly crush him to death. Are you fearless enough to save him?"

Naruto disappeared and reappeared next to the canine before forming a single hand seal, muttering 'Kai' while Gaara charged at him.

"You don't have time for that!"

Naruto roared as he punched the hand of sand, sending the sand everywhere. When the smoke cleared, Naruto had freed the canine and the last of the sand on the wall was dropping to the ground.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine."

Naruto looked up to see Gaara going for the canine again as Naruto shoved it out of the way and took the hit himself, flying back and creating a crater in the arena wall. Naruto slowly got up while the canine came over to him.

"You should be worrying about yourself, pup."

"Guess so... Thanks for your help."

The canine nodded as Gaara charged him.

"Good luck."

Thee canine poofed and Naruto jumped out of the way to avoid being nailed.

_'I've got to think of something!'_

Naruto had one last option as he pulled out two scrolls while dodging another of Gaara's swipes. Gaara recognised it immediately, as did the other people who had been present in the prelims. However, they did not know it was a modified version. Naruto landed and formed three hand seals before announcing his jutsu.

"Ninpou Kuchiyose: Fubiki no Kunai!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the name and the arena exploded into smoke. Two pillars of smoke rose. They were not green and black like last time, this time they where red and blue. Naruto jumped up into the middle of the double helix of the scrolls and began palming the scrolls and hurling kunai at Gaara who smiled and blocked them with his sand arms. After Naruto had finished Gaara laughed.

"Did you really hope an attack like that would work?"

Naruto smiled.

"Yup. Now for the last part of it. Daibakuha!"

Everyone's eyes widened as the entire arena flashed before letting off an almighty explosion that the whole of Konoha felt. Once it settled, they saw that Gaara was on the ground, panting. He was completely soaked in blood and he had lost his sand body. Gaara tried to get up but couldn't as he was aware of Naruto walking over to him. Gaara's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't come close to me!"

"The pain of being alone... Is completely out of this world isn't it?"

Naruto collapsed to his knees in front of Gaara and began panting. Gaara's eyes widened.

"That pain of being unwanted... Of being despised... I've felt it to... However, people saved me from that cold hell and accepted me. If you dare harm them, I will kill you. I fight for those I love and cherish, not for myself. That's what makes one strong, Gaara. Fighting for those important to you. A ninja's true power isn't brought out until the lives of those that mean the most to them are put in jeopardy. That is when the true power of a ninja will take form. Remember that."

Gaara got a blank look on his face that people who were lost deep in memory and thought wore. Genma checked Gaara and smiled.

"Gaara is unable to continue, making Uzumaki Naruto the winner of the Chuunin Selection Exams!"

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheering as Naruto dropped face down on the ground. Naruto whispered to himself.

"Kurenai-Chan... I did it..."

Naruto fell unconscious as the medics came out and took both Naruto and Gaara away for medical treatment.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Did these fight scenes make up for the ones last chapter? I don't have much to put down here this time... Well, until next time, my avid readers!

Ja ne,

Specula.


	5. Tsunade & the Bet

**A/N:** It seems people are overlooking some things and that I haven't explained some others. Everyone who reads my stories will read the notes below. You have no choice in the matter. It seems I'm going to have to do something your parents neglected. If I find them, they'll be sorry...

**READ THIS OR ELSE: **Either people are SOMEHOW bypassing the fact that I have hidden my email address from Fan Fiction and Media Miner, or they are getting my email address from somehwere else and are sending me direct emails. Most of them are fairly... Hostile, to say the least. The rest are borderline. If you want to ask me a question privately, send a PM from either site. Those who send me direct emails will be blocked. I'd rather not have my email address filled with hate mail. As Ibiki said 'Pigs who fail to comply will be failed immediately' I'll leave you to interprit that as you will.

**A warning to people who want to question me on something:** Well, since the majority of you seem to be unable to put two and two together, let me explain it for you so you **will** understand why there was no Oto/Suna invasion, why Sasuke didn't fight and why there were no semi finals in the main matches.Kabuto was in prison. I'm surprised by how little people even pay attention to what they see. **Over and over again**. Go back and watch Kabuto's actions during the main macthes and what it set off. 50 times. Then read the chapters of both my Rubies & Sapphires and A Tail of Two Bijus that relate to the finals another fifty times. If you still want to ask the question, then do us all a favour and cut your internet connection so I don't have to answer your pointless questions anymore. If I hear another person ask me 'When's the Suna/Oto invasion?' after I take Kabuto out of the picture in any of my fics, I'll kill them or block them, whichever comes first. Use the organ in your heads called a brain, assuming you are capeable of using it. Although judging by the number of people who asked this completely stupid question, it seems few of you are. FFS, do you even remember when I answered this **exact same question** in the A/N of A Tail of Two Bijus, providing the reasons that went back to Kabuto and the fact he didn't use the area sleeping Genjutsu because he wasn't Orochimaru's right hand man anymore? Jesus Tapdancing Chirst... You have no idea how much this pisses me off... It's like a scientist specialising in the atmosphere turning to a workmate and asking 'why is the sky blue'? The number of people who ask me questions that I either explain already in my fics or the anime/manga provide, and then even accuse me of making an error is astounding... Am I the only person alive who actually pays attention to the story line instead of watching explosions like a moth when it sees light? Someone even asked me 'why isn't Sasuke fighting?' and 'why weren't there semi finals?' in a review of chapter four, and when I told them to reread the entire fic, they used these words 'Ok, I reread it word for word but my questions remain the same'. You want answers to those questions? Fine I'll give them to you. You're blind. Before Kakashi used the Evil Supression Seal on Sasuke, he couldn't use any chakra becuase he would drop dead on the spot, just like in the real story. Why were there no semifinals? Because, half of the matches in the first round ended in a **double ko**, meaning that no one won, just like the Ino/Sakura fight in canon so no one progressed. In short people, if you don't read the manga or watch the anime closely before asking questions that are explained clearly not only in my fics but canon too, then don't read my fics. Ever again. /rant

**A FINAL NOTE:** People, learn some god damn manners. People are sending me PMs or reviews telling me to 'write a fic with such and such a a pairing', or 'when the hell is the next chapter coming out?' People, if you don't learn some manners and use your brains, I will disable all reviews and PMs, because I'm getting sick of it. Grow up and act the age you claim to be.

Don't like the fact that you people are taking my fics and update speed for granted and I'm pulling you up on your disgusting behaviour? That's too bad. It's time you little spoilt brats chucking temper tantrums learnt some respect. Personally, I wish a large portion of you went and died in a fire for making demands of me you have absolutely no right to make. If you don't like it, then go and do it the way you think it should be done and leave me alone. BTW, this chapter is only temporary. Once I've finished the latest chapter, I'll put this one at the top of the next one. I'm doing this for now to make you get the point.

I severly hope I made my point. My eyes were litterally twitching in supressed rage when I read one of the PMs/Reviews I was talking about. For 3 days, I didn't laugh and I considered hacking their computers and destroying them from afar, which I know how to do. And no, I will not teach anyone how to do that. However, after last chapter, it seems someone beat me to the punch and sent a worm to my PC. I'm now pretty sure that person's PC is permanently broken after I was done with it. They're attempt was rather amaturish, if I do say so myself. You know, I'm REALLY tempted to make my own fanfic site where I only let GOOD stories be posted and only people who have a decent amount of intelligence post comments reviews. If anyone can help me, I will make this utopia of fan fiction a reality! No more shitty one shots, no more abusive reviews, it'll all be good!

**NOTE:** if you see some form of '_twitch'_ as the only response to your review, then that means your one of the people who were the cause of the extensive A/N. Also, just because you said updates soon does not mean I'm angry at you. Theres a **big** difference between "I love it! Update soon!" and "Hurry up" or "When the hell's the next chapter coming out?" Those of you who use the first example are not doing anything wrong, however, those of you using something like the second or third are the one's I'm talking about.

Thanks to everyone who supports my views and offered help with the site, much appreciated.

Some people don't want me to explain the japanese jutsu names/phrases as they can read Japanese, but others do, so I'll explain them at the end of each chapter, or in the case of two chapters ago, here.

Nanjato: What did you say/excuse me?

Shushin no Jutsu: Body Flicker. The vast majority of people can use it, however, some have modified versions, such as Gaara's sand warp or Yondaime's less flashy Hiraishin.

Hiraishin: Yondaime's signature jutsu that earnt him the name 'Yellow Flash of Konoha'.

Hisashiburi dana: It's been a while.

Katon: Kyuukyoku Goukakuu no Jutsu: Fire Type: Ultimate Grand Fireball Technique/The Grand Fireball to end all Grand Fireballs.

SAYSHOHA! BAKUHATSU DA: Not sure if this is spelt correctly, but coming from Gai, it's no suprise it's meant to say 'EXPLOSION OF YOUTH!'

Ninpou Kuchiyose: Fubiki no Kunai: Daibakuha: Ninja Summoning Art: Blizzard of the Kunai: Grand Explosion!

I left out the REALLY obvious ones that everyone who's seen even ¼ of the anime will know and also jutsus that are either VERY well known because of multiple uses and/or Jutsus that stand out and have only been used once.

Comments/Suggestions/Questions:

**Fan Fiction Section:**

**O.O.O:** Since when did you earn the right to order me to make a fic? Ask politely, or don't at all. _'BIG Twitch'_

**BountyHunterAWL:** Believe me, there are no other good free ones out there. I'm using it at this very moment and it's working fine. Did you follow my instructions and put in only simple words, such as 'suprise' 'explosion', and not things like 'twin rising dragons' and other complete jutsu names? If all else fails, make sure you check that if you're typing in english, it's set to convert from English to Japanese, not the other way around.

**Gost:** _'Twitch'_

**Arytimis Terun:** Well, both Orochimaru and Itachi made it very clear before they defected that they hated every single person who walked the earth besides themselves. Naruto said he was willing to die for them if it saved their lives. Both are very different intentions.

**Gaara the Sandwarrior:** _'Twitch'_

**Nexuseragon:** _'Twitch'_

**demon-sword:** ... _'Semi-Twitch'_

**Gothic Kacie:** _'MEGA Twitch plus killer intent'_

**Ant Crown:** YES! Someone who agrees with me that Kureani is teh smex, as some say.

**Flame-On:** Judging by your name and the fact that you left an anonymous review, you didn't want your account to be banned and you're what I refer to as chicken shit. Obviously, you didn't read the warning properly, I said Reviews EMAILS AND PMS you idiot. Do you have acces to my email in box? No, no you don't. And now I remember why I disabled anonymous reviews. It was because of people like you. Now that it's disabled again, you have no choice that if you want to reply than to use your real identity so I can just block you.

**Zarron: **No, your question is a very valid and intelligent one. The only questions I consider idodic are 'when's the suna/oto invasion' and other questions that are so obvious to answer that they shouldn't be asked. Until I see either Sasuke/Kakashi/Tobi or Itachi use a clan jutsu, I will continue to believe they are uncopyable. Jiraiya may be able to teach them to Naruto, but be unable to perform it himself. The Rasengan is not a bloodline jutsu. The modified Shushin and Hiraishin are though, so he told Naruto how Arashi told him they were done, but could not perform them himself.

**Media Miner Section:**

**sasugafaita:** Thanks, glad you liked it.

**Naruto-lovr:** Both of them will make their first appearances either this chapter or the next one, depending on who it is. Akatsuki this chapter, Orochimaru either the next or the one after, depending on how long this chapter turns out.

**ShadowMan:** Thanks for the review. I'm glad to see someone else actually understands how Naruto's mind would work in a given situation. The majority of people I've met have no clue, yet they call themselves 'fans'... What a joke... As I said to Narutolovr above, I'm introducing Akatsuki when they normally would have come in, IE this chapter, and Ororchimaru will come in either the next or the one after, depending on how long this chapter turns out to be. As for Old Man Hokage, he doesn't die, but Tsunade will still come in this chapter. Why? I'm not going to spoil it for you.

**I am Dustin Imthurn:** _'Twitch'_

So, out of 14 reviews that asked me questions, 7 asked me decent questions. Now do you see why I am getting annoyed? 50 percent of you who asked questions had a brain and used it, and I haven't even started on the PMs yet...

Anyway, On to the next chapter...

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Five:

Tsunade & the Bet:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**2 Days After the Finals:**

Naruto groggily returned to conciousness and knew from the heavy scent of disinfectant that he was in the hospital. He cracked open his eyes to see four people sitting around his bed. At the movement, they looked at him. Naruto's vision was still blurry, but he could make out the shapes of his teammates and Two of his favorite people, Kurenai and Kakashi.

"Good to see you're awake, Naruto. Can you move yet?"

Naruto nodded as he slowly got up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. When he looked at them with his cleared vision, they all had looks of relief.

"So, how long have I been out?"

"Just over two days."

"Souka..."

The door opened and a nurse came in and smiled at him.

_'WOAH, take two, did she just smile at me?'_

"Good to see you're awake, Naruto-San. Most people after an expenditure of chakra like that would have been out for about a week. How are you feeling?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Not bad. Still a bit groggy from waking up after two days of sleep."

The nurse smirked good naturedly.

"Not suprising. Apart from that?"

"Everything else seems to be fine. No problems."

The nurse nodded and performed a few checkups before she wrote some things on the clipboard at the end of his bed.

"Well, I see no reason to hold you here. You're free to go when you want, just remember to sign out at the reception."

"Sure thing."

The nurse smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her. Naruto looked at his visitors and got serious.

"Mind explaining?"

Kakashi smiled.

"After your carefully chosen speech at the exam when you faced Gaara, not faultering even when he transformed and trapped the canine, most people saw that you were were not Kyuubi, but in fact it's jailor. They realised if you were Kyuubi, you would not have said or done those things. Kyuubi did not save lives with it's power, it took them and enjoyed it. Both your matches proved that you would not take a person's life unless you were forced to, even if they were an enemy. Having Gaara act as he did only helped prove your point. Quite a number of people have done a 180 and have come to respect you. Some still have very slight reservations, and only the ones who are clinically insane or leaning towards it still hate you. You really have your way with words, don't you, Otouto?"

Naruto smiled at Kakashi who returned the smile. Kakashi got up from his position of leaning against the wall.

"Well, when you're ready, the Hokage has asked to see you, Shikamaru and Chouji."

Naruto nodded and got out of bed to find that he still had his undershirt and boxers on with a hospital gown over it. After his team left the room, he got changed into the clean clothes that were neatly piled up on the bench and walked out of the room. Kakashi had been right. A lot of the nurses and doctors were smiling at him. Others gave him a simple nod while one or two still gave him hatefull looks. He walked to the front desk and signed out, catching up with his friends as they proceeded to the Hokage's tower where they were let in to see the old man. Once in there, the Hokage smiled at them.

"All of you represented us well. Our intake of mission requests has dramatically increased, and every single judge agreed with my thoughts of your matches. They were most pleased to see Konoha has such intelligent, powerful aspiring youngsters in it's ranks. They recommended that the three of you be promoted to Chuunin, and I agree with their judgement."

All three of them smiled, as did both Kakashi and Kurenai. The Hokage gave a short speech as to what was expected of a Chuunin and their duties before he gave them their Chuunin flak vests. He dismissed them and they left the office. The five of them walked down the street towards a Barbeque restraunt that they went to frequently to celebrate when they heard a group of people approaching. They turned to see the majority of the Rookie Genin with their Sensei's as well as the entire Team Gai, with Lee on a crutch. The only one missing was Sasuke. Naruto frowned mentally. He hadn't seen a lot of the brooding Uchiha lately. He let the thought go as Kiba smiled at them.

"So the three of you were promoted? Congratulations, you deserve it."

The two groups joined up and followed them to the B.B.Q restraunt. Kakashi sweatdropped and laughed nervously.

"Hmmm, I don't think I can pay for all of you..."

They all smiled at Kakashi's antics.

"Don't worry, we'll pay for ourselves."

Kakashi smiled as they entered the restraunt.

"Irashai!"

They took the long bench that was reserved for large groups and their orders were taken as they turned on the grillers in the table. They chatted about anything and everything, taking their plates of uncooked meat and began grilling them. They saw that Naruto had been right when he said he had learnt from the best. Kakashi never seemed to move, yet the meat was indeed dissapearing and his chopsticks had traces of cooked meat on them.

Naruto looked at Lee after finishing another bite.

"Lee, did you see why I didn't want you to use Ura Renge?"

Lee nodded slowly.

"Lee, being an excellent ninja does not mean throwing your life away. Sometimes, it takes more guts to know when to retreat than it does to keep fighting. There is a saying in Shougi you should listen to: 'A player who obtains a Pyrrhic victory cannot move their piece forward'. Lee, you're more important to me alive than dead. After all, I can't spar with you if you're in this shape, can I?"

Lee nodded, brightening up.

"You are indeed a genius, Naruto-Kun. However, unlike most geniuses, you do not take things for granted. You are trully amazing, Naruto-Kun!"

Naruto smiled.

"Despite what others say Lee, you're a genius in your own way. No amount of hard work will let somone open as many gates as you can at your age. Everyone has one area that they specialize in, whether it be obvious or not. Get better soon, ok?"

Lee nodded and Gai went into one of his speeches.

"Yosh! Naruto-Kun's youthfullness is an example to us all! He-"

Gai didn't get to finish his sentence as Ino and Tenten gave him a punch to the head, causing two large bumps to appear. Naruto and Kakashi smiled lazily at them and everyone got a sense of grim satisfaction that Gai had been stopped from one of his rampages spoiling the meal, except Lee who was mortified. The friendly chat kept up through the meal as they discussed topics of many natures. Even Lee seemed to forget his current predecament and joined in the conversation as he ate.

They enjoyed the meal and paid the bill with a generous tip before walking out. They decided to split up to do their own things, leaving Naruto to his own devices.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Early Two Mornings Later:**

Naruto was awoken by a slight tapping noise that repeated itself rythmically.

_Tap tap tap._

Naruto looked to his bedroom window to see a messenger pidgeon tapping on his window as he opened it and took the message from the cainster on it's leg. It's job done, the pidgeon took flight and headed back to it's home. Naruto unrolled the message and read it.

_'Please report to the Hokage Tower ASAP.'_

Nartuo destroyed the note and got dressed hurridly before he grabbed his ninja pouch and rushed out the door.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Hokage Tower:**

When he got there, Naruto met something he never thought he would. When the ANBU guard admitted him in, he saw that the old man was not there. However, the council memebers, which were the old man's two former team mates, as well as Jiraiya and the heads of the major clans were all present. When the door opened, the conversation in the room stopped and everyone turned to him. Naruto noticed the looks. There was anger, fear and other emotions, however, they were not directed at him. Naruto closed the door and stepped up.

"I can tell by the looks on your faces and the fact that all the major people of the village are here that something big happened."

Jiraiya nodded.

"Not one, but two major things. It seems that Sarutobi-Sensei was making his regular weekly check up on the trator Kabuto when the ANBU that were supposed to be guarding him attacked. They were standing directly behind him and gave no prior indication of their intentions before the strike. Sarutobi was greviously wounded and the ANBU took Kabuto and escaped. He's unable to continue work as the Hokage, so we esentially have lost our leader."

Naruto nodded slowly. For even ANBU to mask their intentions that well from a Kage showed a great deal of skill.

"So I guess that explains why everyone is here, to sort out who'll be the Godaime?"

The female village elder, Koharu nodded.

"We initially asked Jiraiya to be the new Hokage, however he has declined."

Naruto nodded. He could tell that he played some role in this, however, what that role was, he had no clue of.

"So, if Jiraiya-Sensei declined, why was I brought here?"

The other council member, Homura spoke.

"Naruto, Jiraiya may have declined, but he has suggested that we instate another of the Sannin as the Godaime."

Orochimaru was not even considerable, so that left one person.

"Tsunade?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Yeah, Tsunade. However, she will be hard to trace. The only clue we will have is the trail of debt she leaves behind."

Naruto sweatdropped. So the name 'Legendary Sucker' wasn't just for show. That still left one question.

"So, why was I brought here?"

Jiraiya smiled and put a hand on Naruto's head.

"You're coming with me to get her. After your speech at the Main Matches, we're going to need you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"She's not going to come back willingly, then?"

Jiraiya shook his head.

"If anything, she'll resist. Her experience with the word 'Hokage' isn't pleasant, to say the least."

Naruto nodded. Jiraiya turened back to the others.

"It may take a month or two to find her. Can you handle things until we get back?"

Koharu nodded.

"We have set up an emergency extended council that consists of the clan heads until you return. Please do not fail, as this is only temporary."

Jiraiya nodded.

"Sure thing. Naruto, get your stuff and meet me at the West Gate in 30 minutes."

"On it."

Naruto puffed out of existance and arrived moments later at his appartment. He gathered his things and left a note for Kakashi before making himself a quick bowl of instant ramen. He gobbled it down and ran to the West Gate. Jiraiya was there waiting for him, and once he arrived they set off to find Tsunade.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At a Lodging Town not Far Away:**

Jiraiya led Naruto to a small lodging town, claiming he was going to start searching here. Jiraiya led Naruto to an inn and picked up the keys before he turned around to see a rather stunning black haired woman in a rather skimpy violet dress. Naruto smiled at her while Jiraiya went mad.

_'She's beautiful, sure... But she's nothing compaired to her...'_

Jiraiya slammed the keys into Naruto's hand before Naruto sensed something unusual about her.

"Jiraiya-"

"Take the keys and go practice in our room."

"Listen."

Jiraiya stopped and looked at Naruto who narrowed his eyes.

"Somethings... Not right. My Genjutsu sense is on the verge of being set off when I look at her... Be careful."

Jiraiya nodded but direguarded the warning as he ran off to do what he did best. Naruto sighed.

"Kuso Ero-Sennin... Be careful..."

Naruto took the keys up to his room and let himself in and began theorising about a new jutsu when he heard a knock at the door. He sensed no chakra, so he took the key and went to open it. When he did he stared. Black cloaks with swirling red clouds...

"Akatsuki..."

Naruto noticed the Sharingan in the smaller of the pair. There was only one person who could have those eyes with three commas in both of them...

"Uchiha... Itachi..."

A second figure stepped out from behind him. A figure that reminded Naruto of a very familiar lookingshark.

"Hosigake... Kisame..."

There was only one word that could describe his situation. Screwed. Totally, fatally, utterly screwed.

"Oh? Seems he knows us, Itachi-San."

"Naruto-Kun. Step outside please."

What could he do? If he tried to run, he'd be caught and seriously wounded. If he tried to fight, it'd be over before he could do anything. So he did the only thing he could. He stepped outside. Itachi made way for him. Kisame smiled ferally at him.

"Hmm, Itachi-San. It'd be troublesome if he moved around. Shall I cut of a leg?"

Naruto sweat dropped.

"I know when I'm outmatched. No point in cutting of a leg. If I run, you'll catch me. If I fight, you'll beat me. I lost this the second you knocked on the door..."

Kisame smiled.

"Hmm, seems he's not entirely stupid. Well brat, let's get going."

Kisame stopped as Naruto felt a rather weak amount of killer intent come from the opposite end of the hallway. Naruto looked and groaned mentally. It was Sasuke.

"It's been a while, Sasuke."

Itachi showed no emotion. His voice was deadpan, his face made no movement save his mouth to form the words. Kisame looked over his shoulder at their newest guest.

"Oh? It's the Sharingan. And he looks very simmilar to you, Itachi-San. I heard you killed the entire clan."

Naruto felt a spike in Sasuke's chakra at the last sentence. Sasuke got the look of a madman.

"Uchiha Itachi. Like you've said, I've hated you and detested you, and... I've SURVIVED!"

Sasuke charged Itachi who looked bored for a second before regaining the emotionless mask. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's fist and held it.

"I'm not interested in you at the moment, Sasuke."

Naruto saw his chance and used Shushin to get to where he felt Jiraiya's chakra source in the distance. Right now, Naruto knew that Sasuke was unreachable with words, so he had no choice but to leave him to the mercy of his brother and Kisame. When Naruto appeared next to Jiraiya, the man saw Naruto's fearful look.

"Akatsuki are here."

Jiraiya understood the danger immediately and took his bag from Naruto.

"Let's go."

Jiraiya and Naruto both summoned an animal. Jiraiya a frog and Naruto a wolf. If they went on foot, the Akatsuki would catch them easily, however, on mounts, they stood a fighting chance. Both of them tore through the town and got out, not looking back over their shoulders. The wolf's sense of smell was enough to tell them that they were being pursued. They increased their speed as they tore through the trees when they felt several chakra sources flare, all of them VERY familiar. One of which made Naruto's heart stop.

"Kurenai-Chan!"

Naruto turned the wolf around and charged back, not even hearing Jiraiya's warning to stop. When Naruto got close enough to see, he saw something that made him seethe. Itachi was about to stab Kurenai with a rather long kunai. Nartuto took his chances and used Shushin to flash over to Itachi to try and draw attention away from Kurenai. Itachi put a hand up and grabbed Naruto's extended foot and threw him through several trees before his momentum was lessened enough for the forth tree to absorb his impact. He got up, and rushed back to see Itachi holding Kurenai around the throat with one arm and the elongated kunai at her jugular vein. Itachi was looking directly at Naruto.

"Naruto-Kun, you will come with us, or we will kill this woman."

Naruto's eyes widened. Knowing how Itachi had murdered over 300 people when he was 13 in under 24 hours, Naruto didn't doubt he wouldn't back up his threat if need be. Naruto saw the look in Kurenai's eyes. One that screamed 'don't you dare'. The kunai moved closer and touched the skin, drawing a trickle of blood. Naruto let his emotions get the better of him as he released a huge spike of killer intent which made Kisame smiled.

"Seems you struck a nerve, Itachi-San. Wonder if she's his this?"

Kisame held up his little finger to indicate that he was implying she was his 'girlfriend'. Naruto turned a deep shade of crimson and when Kurenai saw this reaction Naruto made to whatever Kisame was doing behind her and let a slight flush tint her cheeks. Kisame grinned.

"Seems I was right."

Naruto looked at them, a look of calculation in his eyes. He had one shot at this. One and only one. If he stuffed it up, that was it. If he succeded, he may just be able to get Kurenai away from Itachi's grasp. Naruto sighed and lowered his head, mentally muttering the word 'Kai'. No one noticed what had happened, and thought he was considering his options. Naruto just vanished and reappeared less than half a second later with his foot connecting with Itachi's stomach. He only realised his mistake when he kicked it. His eyes widened at the surge of chakra from Itachi as he grabbed Kurenai and tried to make it as far away as he could before the Kage Bunshin exploded. He could not escape the entire blast radius, but enough to make sure he would live. He shielded Kurenai with his body and took the blast full in the back, turning over to take the fall as well, much to Kurenai's dismay. By this stage, Jiraiya had made it to the clearing. Kisame growled and backed up against his raven haired companion.

"This is getting out of hand, Itachi-San."

"Kisame, we're leaving."

Both of them dissapeared and all attention turned to Naruto, who was on the ground panting. Jiraiya checked him and confimed that his tenant was doing it's job by healing his burns and cuts. Naruto looked up at Kurenai who was also checking him.

"Kurenai-Chan... Daijobu?"

Kurenai smiled at him.

"I'm fine."

"Souka..."

"Naruto, let me see your face."

Naruto pulled down his mask and froze as Kurenai leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips, much to the shock of those present. After getting over the initial shock, he began trembling and blushing furiously. Jiraiya, not missing a beat, pulled out his 'research' notebook and a pen and began scribbling furiously as he let out restrained perverted giggles until he found his notebook shreaded into pieces in his hands, seeing Asuma holding his trench knives with the blade extended by chakra and Kakashi twirling a kunai by the ring on the pommel. Naruto on the other hand, couldn't give a damn about anyone else but himself and the fact that the woman of his dreams was kissing him. Her lips tasted oddly of strawberries. After what felt like an eternity, Kurenai pulled back, her lips tugging slightly at his as they separated. Asuma smirked at the situation.

"And so the ice queen of Konoha melts at the hands of a 12 year old."

Kakashi, Asuma and Jiraiya knew this was going to be ammo for quite some time to come. Kurenai smiled at Naruto's expresson that showed he was completely out of it. She spoke to the others just as much as to Naruto.

"Naruto, you're more of a man than any of these three could be."

The three in question had their 'ammo' ripped away from them and a huge ego bruise to boot with the claim and their faces turned from calculated grins to looks of defeat, the exact same thought going through all three of their heads.

_'Ouch. Naruto's more of a man than me? That's harsh...'_

Gai smiled as he pumped his fist.

"Yosh! Naruto-Kun's flames of youth burn more brightly than ever before! When I get back to Konoha, Lee and I will do 50 laps around Konoha on our hands!"

Naruto could have sworn he heard an 'ossu' floating on the wind, but he was too out of it to really care. Naruto shook his head slowly and raised himself to a semi seated position. Naruto shook his head to try and gain some semblance of regular thinking patterns back, but only partially succeded. Naruto looked up at Kurenai and blushed heavily when she saw her smiling at him. Gathering his thoughts he pulled his mask back up and stood up. Naruto looked serious.

"What happened to Sasuke?"

The other Jounin's faces went blank before Kakashi answered for them.

"It seems Itachi broke several ribs, his wrist and unleashed a huge amount of psychological torture on him. At the moment, he's a vegitable. We really need you to get Tsunade back. Konoha's current capabilities to heal injurues cannot heal that extent of damage."

Naruto nodded.

"We'll get her."

Jiraiya was still greiving over the loss of his precious 'research material' when Naruto walked up to him and smiled, tilting his head to the side.

"Come on, Sensei. We have a job to do."

"S... Sure..."

Naruto turned back to Kurenai and smiled before raising a hand and dissapearing, leaving the three Jounin to get Uchiha Sasuke and return to Konoha.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**About a Week Later:**

Naruto had followed Jiraiya through several towns, searching bars and gambling dens for any hint. When they did get one, they followed the advice and eventually, they ended up in a city that didn't suprise them whatsoever.

"Tanzaku City. Known as the Fire Country's biggest gambling den. Not suprising she's here."

Naruto sweatdropped. He followed Jiraiya up the winding stone stairs that led up to the front of the city. Being a castle city, when they built it they had chosen a raised plataeu that would tire the attackers before they could even launch an assault on the castle's outer walls. Now, since the days of feudal lords attacking one another with their private army of samurai were long gone, the town located inside the castle walls had extended to the limits of the raised plataeu and the outer walls had been pulled down to give a more inviting feeling to the city. Once they got up there, they immediately began searching for the where abouts of Tsunade by asking people if they had seen her when presented with a photo. By nightfall, not a single person they had questioned had seen her so they decided to stop by a bar for a drink and nibblies before turning in for the night. However, luck decided to smile on them as they entered and both Naruto and Jiraiya saw two women sitting at a booth near the back of the bar. One was a brunette that held a pig, while the other one wa most definitely-

"TSUNADE!"

"JIRAIYA?"

Naruto smiled and followed as Jiraiya walked over to them.

"I finally found you, boy am I beat."

Jiraiya sat opposite Tsunade who's cheeks were flushed pink from her drunken state while Naruto sat opposite her aide. Naruto's Genjutsu sense went off when he looked at Tsunade, who noticed the stare.

"What're you looking at, Gaki?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"The Genjutsu you're using. I've never seen anything like it."

Both Tsunade's and her aide's eyes widened at this claim before they recovered. Tsunade pulled a stack of cards from her shirt and put them on the table.

"What do you want from me, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya split the deck in half and shuffled them, keeping his face straight as he put the deck back on the table.

"I'll get straight to the point. The village elders have requested that you become the Godaime Hokage."

Tsunade's hand flinched as she was about to pick up the deck and hand the cards out. She recovered and began handing the cards out between both herself and Jiraiya, keeping her face neutral. After a while, she gave her response.

"Impossible. I refuse."

Naruto smiled, expecting an answer of this nature, which did not go unnoticed.

"What's with the stupid smile? It reminds me of that pervert, Kakashi."

Jiraiya smirked.

"Not suprising, since he was the one who adopted him at the age of four."

Tsunade's brain might be suffering from the effects of alcohol, but she could put two and two together. Blonde hair, blue eyes and being adopted at the age of four. This was Arashi's only son, Naruto. Most comonly refered to as the 'Kyuubi brat'.

"Did they send him here to send me on a guilt trip and force me to come back to the village?"

Naruto sweatdropped before scratching the back of his head nervously. Jiraiya covered for him.

"No. I took him with me to train him."

Tsunade smirked as she picked up her hand. An Ace of Hearts.

"At least this one has some manners, unlike the last one of yours."

Nartuo smiled, but inside, he was rather annoyed.

"Please do not talk about my father like that."

Shizune gasped at Naruto. Tsunade looked at her next card. A Jack of Hearts.

"But even the Fourth died young. He threw his life away for his village."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. He was not going to snap. He hoped...

"Life isn't like money. Only an idiot bets his life so easily."

Nartuo snapped the chopsticks in his hand. This woman had no clue what she was talking about.

"My grandfather and the Nidaime wished to end the war, but they wasted their lives before they could acomplish that."

Tsunade flicked the next card into view. A Queen of Hearts.

"You've changed, Tsunade."

"I'm in my fifties, even if I look like this. Time changes people, Jiraiya."

Tsunade flicked the next card into view. A 10 of Hearts. She concerntraited on her hand.

"Sarutobi-Sensei is the same. If an old man is too relaxed in such a situation, of course he'll be hurt."

Tsunade flicked the last card into view. A Four of Spades. She sighed as she threw her hand on the table.

"Being a Hokage is a piece of crap. Only an idiot becomes one."

That did it. Naruto snapped as he gathered chakra to his hand and slammed it into the table, shattering it. When he looked up, his eyes were no longer blue. They were blood red.

"**The only one who's an idiot is you, you old hag. You call the first three Hokage's idiots and then you dare insult my father who saved the life of every single human on this planet in exchange for his life? It's bad enough the majority of the bastards don't care, but to have someone insult him because of it is unnaceptable. Step outside. Now."**

Tsunade smirked as she stepped outside, and stared at the brat at the other end of the street. Tsunade noticed that Naruto's feature had returned to normal, however, the hate was still there as she spoke to him in a clearly bored voice.

"Back your claim up, Gaki. Show me what-"

Tsunade didn't get to finish the sentence as she found herself flying back into a building, creating a large crater in the wall. Tsunade got up just in time to see Naruto finish the job with the wall as she dodged to the side, grabbing his arm and hurled him through three buildings. Naruto got to sitting position, coughing and looked at Tsunade in hatred.

"Let me ask you one thing before you pass out, Gaki. Why do you care so much for the Hokages?"

Naruto stared at her.

"Unlike you, becoming the Hokage is my dream."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she lowered her head. Nartuo smiled internally. He pulled out one of the Hiraishin kunais and hurled it at her feet and concerntraited his chakra to try and pull it off. The only problem was that he still could not do it, and ended up using a regular Yondaime Shushin to get there. Tsunade aimed a kick for where she felt Naruto was going to land and hit him right in the gut, sending him sprawling back from the power of the kick. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya.

"Oi, Jiraiya, what do you think you're doing teaching him something he has no hope of learning?"

Naruto smirked. This is where he would force her to come back, indirectly.

"Want to make a bet that I can't? I'll master the move by the end of the week."

Tsunade looked at him.

"What are the conditions?"

Hook, line and sinker.

"If I win, you have to come back with us."

Tsunade smiled.

"If you lose, you have to give up your dream of becoming Hokage. However, if you win, I will also give you this."

She pointed to the necklace she was wearing. Naruto's eyes narrowed while the other's widened.

"Tsunade-Sama! That's-"

"That's Shoidaime's necklace..."

For her to bet something like that meant something was up. The fact she hadn't lost in in a bet yet meant she would likely never bet it. Naruto smiled.

"Stakes are high, considering you're betting **that**."

Naruto's tone of voice used for the last word implied he had some idea as to what that necklace meant to her. He smiled lazily.

"Alright, you're on. One week ending monday."

Tsunade turned on her heels.

"Meet here same time next week. Shizune, we're leaving."

"Tsunade-Sama!"

Shizune ran after her leaving Naruto to get up and follow Jiraiya to an inn.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Later That Evening:**

Naruto twirled the kunai used for Hiraishin around his finger absently as he thought about what he could possibly be doing wrong when there was a knock at the door. Naruto put the kunai away and unlocked the door to find Shizune.

"Shizune-San?"

"Naruto-Kun, I need to talk to you."

Naruto opened the door and let her in, closing it behind him.

"So, what's up?"

"Naruto-Kun, please do not get the wrong idea-"

"Stop."

Shizune stopped at the hand Naruto had raised.

"Do you know what kind of an idea I have about Tsunade?"

Admittadly, she didn't.

"Let me explain then. I think her actions are understandable. Jiraiya told me a little bit about both of them and what they meant to her. Studying with Konoha's best in human psychologist gives me a fair idea as to what she is going through, as well as from my own personal experience. The fact that she's betting the necklace means she hasn't lost all of her hope yet. Shizune-San, I'm not just doing this for myself, or for the village. I'm doing this so she can heal a very close friend of mine. My friend opened 5 Celestial Gates in the Chuunin Exams not too long ago to try and beat a Jinchuriki."

Naruto noticed Shizune's shocked expression and knew she understood the implications of what he was saying.

"Also, while coming here, another Genin foolishly tried to attack his older brother and his companion."

"Who were they?"

"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame."

Shizune's eyes practically popped out of her head.

"Needless to say, despite the fact he was beaten to within an inch of death physically, he also suffered extreme pychological trauma. Tsunade is the only one who can heal him from his condition as a vegitable."

Shizune nodded slowly. Her conceptions of Naruto had been completely wrong. Naruto looked at Shizune.

"Shizune, I'm not completely sure, but I sense a dormant evil radiating from that necklace. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's some form of supressed demonic chakra."

Shizune's eyes widened even further. This boy was something else.

"Shizune, were the two she gave it too Jinchurikis?"

Shizune shook her head.

"No."

"I'm not certain, but I think that necklace will only accept Jinchuriki's. I'd have to see it if a normal person wore it, but I have a feeling that necklace will indirectly kill any non Jinchurikis that wear it."

Shizune shook her head in disbelief. The amount of knowledge this boy had was incredible for someone his age. Naruto smiled at her.

"Don't let this smile fool you. I'm anything but lazy or stupid. It helps make enemies underestimate me."

Shizune nodded and got up from her position on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry about that, Naruto-Kun..."

Naruto shook it off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I'm use to it. Don't worry. Sleep well, Shizune-San."

Shizune bowed and left the room, leaving Naruto to think.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**3 Days Later:**

It was nightfall on the third evening of the alloted week. Naruto was training in a small field next to a waterfall. He panted as he tried to analyise what exactly he was doing wrong. He just didn't understand it. Sure, the idea was to get to the kunai using a method of transportation akin to the way summoned animals get to the real world, but how did he do that? He sat down and pulled out his supply scroll and summoned a bag of chips, tearing it open and digging in. That's when it hit him. He ate the chip and bit his thumb, forming the seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

Beside him, a small orange frog with a navy blue Gi appeared. When the frog saw Naruto, he raised a webbed hand.

"Hey there, Naruto. What's up?"

Naruto lowered the chips to let Gamikichi grab some.

"I made a bet with one of Jiraiya's old team mates. I have to master the Hiraishin in the next four days."

Gamakichi pulled out another chip and ate it.

"Sounds hard. Isn't that the Yondaime's jutsu?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. The thing I don't get though is that I was told that to use it, you have to move like an animal does when it's summoned to the real world."

Gamakichi pulled out another chip as did Naruto.

"Hmm, so you summoned me to ask how we move, hmm?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. Any pointers?"

Gamakichi thought for a moment.

"It's kinda hard to explain. We just do it automatically. Show me how you do it and I'll see what I can tell you."

Naruto nodded and got up and pulled the kunai out. He hurled it at a tree and felt the familiar tug on his mind and he tried to get there as fast as possible, ending up just using the regular Shushin. Naruto walked back to Gamakichi.

"Well, did you feel a call or something that drew you to the kunai?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well, that's good. It means you can master it. When a human summons us from home, we get that tug at the back of our minds. As for how to answer it... I'm not sure."

Naruto facefaulted. Gamakichi smiled as he pulled the chip packet to him.

"Try summoning one of the bigger talking frogs. They might know. Ja!"

Gamakichi poofed out of existance. That's when Naruto realised something else. Every time he summoned something, whether it be an animal or something from a scroll, they always appeared and dissapeared using a cloud of smoke. That had to have something to do with it. Sighing, he took out a soldier pill and popped it inot his mouth, ignoring the bitter tastes as he swalled it and felt power returning to him. He bit his thumb again and poured more chakra into his summon as he formed the seals. He might as well go straight to the top. He slammed his fist onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

When the smoke cleared, there was Fenrir. For some reason, he thought that summoning Gamabunta wouldn't get him the answers he wanted, so he decided to summon his canine counterpart. Fenrir looked up at Naruto questioningly.

"**What do you want, Naruto? There are no ememies here, unless you mean that female of your species hiding behind the rock."**

Naruto had known Shizune was there for quite some time, but he had ignored her in favour of focusing on the task at hand.

"No, not Shizune-San. I actually needed to ask you something."

"**Then speak, boy."**

"I needed some advice on how you appear in the real world when you're summoned."

Fenrir's eyes narrowed.

"**Why do you need to know?"**

Naruto gave a brief explination behind Hiraishin, the bet and his session with Gamakichi. Fenrir nodded in agreement with Naruto's decision to summon him instead of Gamabunta.

"**From my experience with the frogs, they're not the most intelligent creatures. I can see how much this means to your congregation you refer to as a hidden village, so listen carefully to this hint, as me telling you how to do it would be considered cheating. When you feel the tug, don't try and go stright to it. Got it?"**

Naruto nodded. In truth, he didn't get it entirely, but he decided to let it go for now.

"Thanks Fenrir. Catch you round."

"**Later, Naruto."**

Naruto jumped off Fenrir's head as he poofed out of existance. Naruto looked at his watch seeing it was already 2 am. He trudged back to the hotell room, thinking about Fenrir's advice.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Evening of the Bet:**

Naruto had been trying to follow Fenrir's cryptic advice, but the more Naruto let the kunai go for, the stronger the pull became. He even let it go for so long that it started giving him a headache. Naruto had tried reading books and scrolls on what it could possibly mean. Finally, it was 8:30 pm, the appointed time of the bet. He had one last attempt to get it right. He took the kunai and walked out the door, going to the appointed meeting place. He walked past shops, trying desperately to think of something, **anything** that would help him. He walked past a closed shop that sold all sorts of odds and ends. Naruto saw a new fad that was just coming out. It was called 'obtic fibres'. From what he could understand, it worked via a method called 'total internal refraction'. Basically, a beam of light was shone into the end of the semiflexible glass tube and the dual layered glass bent the light back to face the other wall instead of just reflecting it like a mirror would. When it struck that wall, it was again refracted back as it hit the wall, repeating the process until it hit the end of the tube, where it gace a rather dazzling display of light. The tube was also filled with the light and it gave the glass tube a rather strange look. Naruto went back to his thinking until something clicked. He remebered Ferir's words.

"Don't try and go straight to it... That's it!"

Naruto rushed around the final corner to see Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya standing there. Tsunade looked rather confident.

"One try, gaki. Let's see what you've got."

Naruto threw the kunai at the ground near Tsunade's feat and focused as he felt the tug getting stronger. He let it get stronger until the kunai hit the ground and his headache got bad enough to affect him with tunnel vision, and that's when he noticed it. There was an invisible tunnel of chakra from his position to the kunai, and it was dual layered. Time seemed to slow down as Naruto activated his body like he would with a Shushin and aimed at the wall of the tunnel. He was aware of himself hitting the wall and bouncing off it, straight into the other side. He didn't dare break his concerntraition until he slammed out of the other side of the chakra tunnel and appeared right in front of her as time sped up to normal and his vision returned to normal. Naruto stared up at Tsunade's look of shock. Tsunade looked from Naruto to the position he was standing when he activated the jutsu and Naruto saw her expression was mirrored on both Jiraiya's and Shizune's faces.

"I take it I did it?"

Tsunade was unable to form a coherent sentence.

"How..."

Naruto smiled at her.

"My dad was a genius, I'll give him that. I was walking past a shop on the way here that sold all bits and pieces. In the center display was a group of fibre optic cords. I gave it a passing thought until I remembered Fenrir's words. 'Don't try and go straight to it.' I let the kunai hit the ground and my headache got bad enough that I got tunnel vision and time slowed down. That's when I saw a dual layered tunnel of chakra. Using the theory for total internal refraction with the Shushin is what turned the flash of yellow from Shushin into a trail of yellow because the Shushin's light takes longer to dissapear than it takes for me to move, and although it doesn't give me instant transpotation, it let's me move at the speed of light, which is close enough."

Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune's jaw dropped at the explination. Naruto smiled determinantly at her.

"No matter what stands in my way, I will not let it stop me from reaching my dream. I **will** become the Hokage."

"Once more... Once more, I want to belive in it..."

Tsunade pulled the necklace off her neck, and placed it around Naruto's as she began to shed tears. Naruto stiffened temprarily as Tsunade wrapped him in a bone crunching hug. Naruto gasped.

"Tsunade... Can't... Breathe..."

Tsunade let him go as Naruto gasped for breath. Once he had recovered, they went into the bar for something to eat and discuss things, such as Tsunade being the Godaime Hokage.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Finally, it's done! This chapter was easily the hardest one I had to write for this fic. I hope it turned out well. Also, thanks to my beta reader, Shadows of Archonia. As a final note, I've just booked my ticket to Animania in Sydney for the 30th of Spetember and the 1st of October. I'll see you guys there! Until next time, my avid readers!

Ja ne,

Specula.


	6. Sasuke's Defection

**A/N:** Yo! When this chapter is updated, I'm getting rid of the two ones before it, the A/N chapters. BTW, in this fic, the Sound Four did not encounter some of Shizune's team, so they kept going without hinderance because they did not have to use their stage two seals. Also, people are complaining that 'Naruto's all powerful'. Know the reason you think that? It's because in a real fight he's only faced Genin level peopl.e How easily can an upper Chuunin/low Jounin take care of a Genin? Without even trying. This chapter, he is going to be beaten so badly, he wish he never got out of bed. By who? Take a guess. I don't make my main characters in ANY fics, even if it's just a straight lemon one shot have it all easy, they **will** go through pain of some description. No pleasure without pain... Or whatever the saying is. As a second note, we all know what happens in each of the fights, so I'm only going to do each fight scene until the remaining group splits off, and the conclusion to each fight except the last three. I really hate retelling canon word for word. Also, from now on, whoever tells me to get a beta reader because of spelling or grammermatical errors will be automatically blocked. I've explained it far too many times for it to be sheer dumb luck for you to have missed it. Also, people, how can I give you a link to something that doesn't exist? Chapter 5 of R & S, or Chapter 6 if you include this one is the most recent chapter. It seems I should have just kept quiet. People seem to think I'm close to breaking and they can drive me away by asking more stupid questions than ever. The only think I have to hope for is my block list is big enough to hold 70 or so percent of readers... Trust me, your reviews really mean nothing to me. It does to others though. The only thing your actions are helping is for people to see my story and say 'wow, must be good'. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. And sending me a direct email to appologise is a stupid thing to do after last chapter's warning. Dobes...

Oh and about Isonade, that theory I wrote predates the time skip. However, if anything, Naruto is using the incorrect animals by breaking the mythological tradition. The one's I use from mythology/history predate Naruto by let's see... Several thousand years?

**HUGELY IMPORTANT NOTE:**I just realised I made an incredibly stupid mistake. I should have added the first part ofnext chapter onto the end of this one. It's going to look **really** stupid to send Naruto on the training mission and then have him walk back through the gates next scene.

"Bye Naruto!"

"Later!"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**3 Years Later:**

"OMG! IT'S NARUTO!"

Catch my drift? It'd look incredibly tacky. I said I'm not going to write anything of what they do once they walk out of the gates until they walk back through them. I'm sticking with that. What to do, what to do... The only thing I can do is ask you to reread this chapter when the nextone is uploaded. Appologies, people!

Now, some of you will say 'See! You make mistakes too!' Truth be told, yes, yes I do. However, let's look at the definition of 'mistake'. Yes, mistake can mean 'an error of judgment' and so on, but at what point does 'an error of judgment' become the inability to judge properly? In other words, at what point does a mistake stop being a mistake? I believe that if the same people ask the same question after it was answered only to ask it again the next time it comes up shortly afterwards, I believe it is no longer a mistake. It's stupidity. How many times have I made this mistake back to back, or even at all for that matter? Back to back, never. At all, once. Just once. There for, it is a mistake. The same people asking 'when's the Suna/Oto invasion?' directly after I answered it a **second** time is not a mistake. It's stupidity. Huzzah for sound logic. Oh god, what a corny pun...

Comments/Questions/Suggestions:

**Fan Fiction Section:**

**Bam Dasher:** Well, it wasn't exactly a glitch, no. They did exist for the period of more or less 24 hours. However, they contained no actual content chapter. It contained a 2 chapter 'rant' on people asking me stupid questions which I answered multiple times, and when I chew them out about it, they projected their own insecurities onto me, calling me an egotistical jackass. Oh man, it was pretty funny. Seeing humans at the epitome of their stupidity not realising their own idiocy as they blurt out abuse that applies to themselves more than me. Anywho, it's all in the past now. I just decided that the 'block' and 'delete' button are getting a decent work out. I only wish that the buttons also stopped them from reading my work. Now **that** would be sweet. Anywho, long story short, if you didn't see what the chapters were about, then it's nothing to worry about.

**Failing Mentality:** I had to reread your review again to make sure I read it correctly. Holy cow, decent questions! A rare treat! The ANBU were pretty much just non descript Oto spies. Typical no bodies. They succeded in their mission, so Orochimaru would keep them alive. As for Naruto proving his loyalty to the canines, he did it during his match with Gaara in the finals. He'll summon Fenrir this chapter.

**Mature-Content:** NaruXKure lemon scene? Ya, there will be. However, it will not be posted on Fan Fiction. It will on Media Miner. The Fan Fiction version will cut out the 'juicier' parts of it enough to maintain it's T or M rating.

**rawPASSION:** Inspiraton? Hmm... Well, I mainly just like combining moves from the manga/anime to make flashy new jutsus. Very little inspiration from outside sources.

**Itallia:** Naruto may be a genius, but even genius's are not invincible. Naruto gets a thorough beatdown this chapter. As for the whole 'cursed necklace thing'... You could say it was answered somewhere, you could also say it isn't. Yes, in one of my A/N rants it was. I took it down because people didn't seem to get the point. Also, that necklace never had anything to do with Nidaime. Shodaime yes, but not Nidaime. I'll leave you to work out why she can wear it without dying.

**Shandrakor:** No, I'm not working Naruto up to having a sub elemental type. Lesser elemental types are usually associated with Kekkei Genkai's. Naruto will not have one of them in this fic.

**Media Miner Section:**

I've stopped answering this section for a multitude of reasons. One, I have to delete my internet cache every single time to view the newest comment thereby getting rid of my cookies and what not, which gets highly annoying, and also, the one's I've blocked on Fan Fiction seem to be swarming to Media Miner and spamming there. There is no blocking tool for Media Miner that I'm aware of, so I just don't answer the comments anymore. Sorry for the rest of you who have to endure the losses because of the fools, blame them, not me.

Thanks to everyone who reviewd that I didn't answer. Those who were fools were delt with. The rest of you, I hope you enjoy.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Six:

Sasuke's Defection:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A Week Later:**

It was 3pm in the afternoon on a day with no clouds in the sky, relatively average temperature for the season and not much happening in Konoha. Well, if you discarded the fact that the entire village was ballancing on a knife's edge from the fact that their Hokage was unable to do his duties. The guards on guard duty had been doubled from two to four after it was found that two members of Akatsuki had slipped into the village through a main gate. The one's at the West Gate were particularly alert, from the fact that this was the gate they entered through, as well as the guards had been told that the new Hokage would be coming down this road. One of the guards currently on duty looked up to see four figures silloutted against the early afternoon light. One was a child. Another was a grown man. The other two were female. As they approached, the guard saw who they were and his eyes widened. He stood to attention as did the other guard when the group stopped at the gate and lookd at him.

"Jiraiya-Sama! The council requested that I send you to them immediately upon your return!"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Thanks."

The group of four humans and one pig walked through the entrance and attracted quite a number of stares. As they got to the Hokage's office, they were admitted in by a pair of ANBU guards. When they stepped inside, the curent meeting between the village elders and clan heads stopped and all attention was focussed on the group. Naruto smiled lazily at them.

"Mission accomplished."

All looks turned to Tsunade. The village elders thanked him, telling him that his pay for the mission could be collected from downstairs at the mission counter. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"This was an official mission? Not that I mind, though. Well, it was a nice suprise. Thanks."

Naruto bowed and left the room to collect his pay, and was shocked to see the mission had been rated S. That meant he was now in possesion of quite a few thousand Ryou. 50,000 to be exact. If this is the kind of pay for an S ranked mission, Naruto wouldn't mind doing a few more sometime in the future. When Naruto question why there was so much, he was told that usually only squads of ANBU took on S rank, not two people, therefore, the money was doubled. Naruto accepted it and wondered what to do with his new found wealth as he walked outside, intent on finding a certain red eyed brunnette and a cyclopian brother of his.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**30 Minutes Later:**

Naruto decided after searching around and being unable to find either of the people he wanted to, that he'd go to Ichiraku's. He hadn't been there in quite some time as he pushed aside the banners for the shop.

"Irashai!"

Naruto waved.

"Hey old man."

The man's eyes widened.

"Naruto! Where've you been?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, sorry about that. Thing's have been kind of busy."

The man smiled and shook his hand dismissivly.

"Don't worry about it. So, what can I get for you today?"

Naruto thought about it as he took a seat at the counter.

"Well, I think I'll start with a large 'The Works' please."

The man's eyes widened.

"Sure you can afford that as well as others? 'The Works' costs as much as 3 regular large bowls..."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Sure can. I just got back from an S Rank mission. They didn't say it's details were classified, so I guess I can tell you about it while I eat."

The man nodded.

"One Works coming right up!"

Naruto had just finished telling them the mission directives and their time up to reaching the lodging town when the first bowl was served. It wasn't named 'The Works' for nothing. It was filled to the brim with things like lobster, various types of vegitables including asparagus stalks, onion rings, plenty of meat and an egg as well as many other things. In between mouthfuls, he continued telling both Techi and Ayame what the mission was about, who he had encountered and the bet. By the time he had eaten two 'Works' bowls, their mouth's were practically hanging on the ground. Naruto smiled at them after he finished.

"Is something wrong?"

"You fought two members of Akatsuki and learnt Hiraishin no Jutsu?"

Naruto smiled.

"Well, I didn't 'fight' either one of them. I never engaged Kisame, and I only distracted Itachi long enough to get Kurenai-Chan away from him."

Teuchi nodded slowly.

"So you did learn Hiraishin?"

Naruto nodded.

"However, Jiraiya-Sensei restricted my useage of it. He said I am not to use it until I am officially a Jounin or unless my life or the life of one of my friends requires me to use it."

"Souka..."

Naruto was about to order a third bowl of something slightly smaller so as not to spend too much money when Teuchi put a third Works bowl in front of him. Naruto looked up at him questioningly.

"Old man?"

He smiled.

"Brining back a Hokage and saving the life of a Jounin from two memebers of Akatsuki is no small feat. Eat up, it's on the house."

Naruto nodded.

"Thank you."

After Naruto finished, he paid the fee for the first two bowls and left, waving good bye to them as he left to get back to his appartment.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Days Later:**

Naruto was given a week's rest from his mission, which he was enjoying to the fullest. On the second morning after they got back, Naruto was enjoying a particulalry perverted dream of himself and Kurenai when he heard a rhythmical tapping sound.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Naruto ignored it and continued with his dream. After 5 seconds, the sound came again.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

The dream was blurring. Right when he was getting to the good part too!

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Naruto returned to the land of the concious and stared at the sunlight streaming in throught the window. He could just make out the figure of a-

"Messenger bird..."

Naruto got out of bed and opened the window to let the pidgeon in. The pidgeon fluttered onto his arm. Naruto opened the canister on its leg and pulled out the message. The bird, it's job now completed, flew back to it's destination. Naruto opened the scroll and his eyes narrowed. He burnt the destroyed the message as was customary, got his ninja gear and used Shushin to get to the Hokage tower.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Same Time, at the Hokage Tower:**

Both Shikamaru and Chouji were already there when Naruto appeared inside the office to see that the atmosphere was tense at best. Tsunade looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke has left the village."

"Did he give any reasons?"

Tsunade sighed and shook her head.

"The last person to see him before he left was his teammate Haruno Sakura. She apparently begged him to stay, however, he knocked her out. All we know is that he left in the direction of Oto."

Naruto looked at Tsunade.

"Judging by the fact you called us here, there are no Jounins or even other Chuunin to back us up?"

Tsunade nodded.

"Correct. Sasuke could not have chosen a worse or better time to defect, depending on who's perspective you view it from. With our mission intake increased so suddenly, we barely have any Chuunin or Jounin left available. Naruto, here is your mission. This is an S class mission due to the fact that you may encounter Kabuto or Orochimaru. You are in overal charge of this mission while your teammates Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji are your direct subordinates. You are to retrive Uchiha Sasuke before he crosses the border between Fire and Rice. If you encounter either Kabuto or Orochimaru, you are ordered to forget about Uchiha Sasuke and retreat. Gather any Genins you wish to take with you and leave immediately."

"Will Rock Lee be able to come?"

Tsunade shook her head.

"I have only just finished with the operation to recive this news. He will not be able to back you up immediately, however, I will send him out after two days. If there are no other questions, then you are dismissed."

All three boys left the room and as they ran out of the tower, Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru, I need you to get Neji and Tenten. I've worked with them for the past year, so team work comes fairly easily for us."

Shikamaru nodded.

"Yokai."

Shikamaru broke off from the group and Naruto turned to Chouji.

"Chouji, I need you to get Kiba and Shino. We were all friends in the academy, so we can work together well."

"Sure thing."

Chouji spilt off from Naruto as Naruto continued to the North Gate as he thought about the Raven haired Uchiha.

"Sauske, were you that intimidated by my power that you pulled something like this? You fool..."

Naruto bit his thumb and formed the seals to summon the tracking pack of canines. When he finished the summon, there were a total of seven dogs of varying descriptions looking at him expectantly. The smallest one, Pakkun looked at Naruto.

"What do you want, Naruto?"

"I need you guys to split off and try to pick up Sasuke's scent. It's possible that his scent may dissapear, but there should be other scents that were with him that will still be followable. Go!"

The seven dogs charged off in different directions. All Naruto could do now was wait and hope for the best.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**20 Minutes Later:**

Shikamaru and Chouji arrived about twenty minutes later with the Genin they were asked to bring. The looks on their faces told Naruto they had already been informed, at least somewhat of what had happened. Naruto looked at them seriously.

"I can tell you've been told some of what's happened from your expressions. We don't have much time, so after we head out, I'll explain everything. However, we can't just rush in there. We need to use speed, but speed without any sort of formation is useless. If any of you have a suggestion, speak up. I'm not the sort of guy to tell you to listen to me or else. Kiba. Your sense of smell is a powerful tool. I want you to take point and be our forward scout, making sure we don't run into any traps. Shikamaru. Your analytical skills will be neded up front to assess dangerous situations. You will follow directly behind Kiba. Tenten. Your ability and knowledge of weapons will help those in front of you should they use any unusual weapons long enough for the rest of us to catch up and help. Next will be me. I will be able to hand out orders from the middle and also provide assistance to both ends just as quickly. Directly behind me will be Shino. Shino, you play a crucial role in this, perhaps more so than the others. You will be our tracer. Should we be separated, I need your tracking bugs to be able to locate the others that have split off and give me reports on them, as well as their conditions. Directly behind Shino will be Chouji. Chouji, you sever several purposes. I need you to not only be the powerhouse that covers us from behind should we be flanked, but you will also relay orders back to Neji, who will be behind you. Neji, you are our primary lookout for sneek attacks from behind. Your Byakugan will enable us to detect attackers and respond before they get a chance to do anything. Any questions?"

No one answered, so Naruto stood up.

"Apart from your positions, I also require you to look in a specific direction for attacks. Kiba and Shikamaru, you need to be looking forward. I will not be looking in any set direction. Tenten, you will be focusing mainly forward, but if you feel it's safe, check left and right. Shino, you will be focusing left. Chouji, right, and Neji, behind. As a warning, we have no idea as to what we will face, so don't overlook anything. Even if something seems slightly out of place, warn myself, Chouji or Shikamaru, whoever is closer to you. I'm not taking any risks. Before we head out, I need to check your inventories. Show me everything you have."

Everyone pulled out their ninja pouches and shuriken holsters. Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru quickly made a mental checklist of everyone's inventory before Naruto reached into his chuunin vest and pulled out 6 three pronged kunai. Everyone's eyes widened.

"These are not ordinary kunai. These are kunai that when thrown will allow me to be summoned to your position at the speed of light. I will give one to each of you, however, don't use them unless it's a dire emergency. I will need to be able to give commands to the others. However, if you are about to die, use it. Got it?"

They all nodded as Naruto handed out the kunai and they looked at Naruto expectantly.

"Guys, although Sasuke was never close to any of us, he is still a fellow Konoha Shinobi. That's why we will get him back. Remember this though. Do not throw away your lives to bring him back."

Naruto felt a rather weak chakra source behind him and turned to see a crying Sakura looking at him desperately. He sighed.

"Sakura, what did you say to Sasuke to try and get him to stay? Don't leave anything out."

Sakura nodded and told him about the short meeting, and when she told him about even offering to go with him, she felt a sharp spike of killer intent and looked up as she saw Naruto seething at her.

"If there's one thing I hate more than anything, it's traitors. The fact you admitted to be willing to betray the leaf to go with the center of your obssesive compulsive disorder makes me wonder why you aren't being held pending execution. Listen well, Sakura. The moment you put that leaf hitai-ate on, you signed an unspoken agreement to serve your Kage to the death. Crushes mean nothing once you put that on. When I get back, I'll make sure you are stipped of your rank for treason."

Sakura gasped as everyone looked at Naruto in horror when everyone could hear a howl and Naruto looked in the direction.

"They've picked him up. Let's move!"

All 7 shinobi got into formation and charged out the gate in the direction Naruto had indicated, leaving a distraught Sakura behind.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**About a Quarter of a Day Later:**

The team had been travelling for arounf a quarter of a day when both Kiba and Naruto picked something up. Something vile. Shikamaru noticed Kiba's unease immediately.

"What's up, Kiba?"

"I sense a chakra source nearby that reeks of death and sickness..."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"There's only two kinds of chakra like that. Orochimaru's chakra and the chakra of one of the biju, Nibi no Nekomata. Either way, all of you stay on full alert. I'm upgrading this to a lower or upper double S rank mission, depending on who's chakra that was. If we encounter either of the two I mentioned, you are ordered to forget all mission objectives and retreat. None of us stand a chance unless we use Shinjutsu, which I will not allow. Understood?"

Everyone's eyes widened at Naruto's orders. For him to do something like this meant they were treading very thin ice. The last part was not strictly true, Naruto could pull out the Kyuubi's chakra, but he refused to do that unless there was no other option. Kiba turned around to face Shikamaru.

"I can smell another dog heading after them. It's not a normal dog."

Naruto nodded.

"That's one of my trackers. Kiba, lead us to him. And let me warn you all of one final thing. I've been ordered that if Sasuke tries to resist capture to the extent he harms any of you severly... You are allowed to use whatever force you deem necissary."

They nodded solemnly and sped up, quickly catching up to a small dog which Naruto identified as Pakkun. Pakkun turned back to the group.

"So you caught up?"

"Yeah. No mistaking the direction, right?"

"Yeah."

Everyone understood what this meant. Sasuke was aiming to use his head start to cross the border before they caught up. If he did, following him would incur the next Great Hidden Shinobi war. Naruto looked at Pakkun who has settled in beside Kiba.

"Pakkun. How far away are we?"

Pakkun turned to look back as they continued jumping between the brances.

"When I caught the scent, they had a half day lead. They now have close to a quarter. Also, I've lost Sasuke's scent from the spot where the disgusting chakra came from. However, the four that were with him have continued in the same direction."

Naruto nodded and focussed on the possibilities. His eyes shot open in realisation as he gasped unconciously, causing everyone to look at him. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Guys, I'm changing the mission directives again."

Everyone stared at Naruto. Kiba, being the loudest one of them all, spoke their minds.

"What the hell, Naruto? How can you just change the mission directives like this?"

Shikamaru looked at Kiba.

"Kiba, listen to what Naruto says. I've known him for almost seven years now. He's not the type of guy to toy with the mission objectives like this without a good reason."

Kiba did as he was told and everyone turned back to Naruto.

"Tsunade sent us in here blind. She had no intel on who our opponents were, their strength or numbers. I have a strong suspicion that the chakra we felt was Orochimaru's. I doubt he would risk come this far with only three subordinates. The only way they could gain Orochimaru's chakra is through a seal known as the Cursed Seal. Only one out of every ten people who recive it will survive. Those that do are able to siphon off a small amount of Orochimaru's chakra. Even for those that survive, the side effects are severe. Anko-San also has one. She told me that whenever the bearer uses the seal, it slowly corrupts their mind as well as their body. There are two stages to the seal. First stage is what Anko-San has. Sasuke also had a stage one seal, but judging by that level of chakra, that is well beyond what a stage one should be capeable of, possibly even a stage two. Should the seal progress to stage two, the barer sacrifices his own free will in exchange for an incalculable amount of power. The shell we once knew as Sasuke will attempt to kill us on sight, so the mission to retrive him is over. This is now an assasination mission. However, if you see a chance to retrive him, do so. Otherwise... Kill him."

They all nodded slowly as they turned back to increase their speed, puming more chakra to their legs and feet as they rushed to catch up with their targets.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A Day Later:**

Everyone was exhausted from the full day of flying through the trees when Chouji handed everyone an Akimichi food pill, replenishing their strength almost instantly and they continued on. With regular updates from Neji, they were certain they were not being followed. They were within range now that even Kiba could clearly pick up their target's scent. Kiba looked back at them.

"They're slowing."

Naruto nodded.

"Everyone stop."

Everyone came to a rest on the branch Kiba had landed on and awaited Naruto's orders. Naruto looked at Neji.

"Neji. Can you focus your Byakugan's range of vision fully forward?"

Neji nodded as the pulse of chakra infused light extended out from his face and the telltale veins on the side of his face bulged.

"Byakugan!"

Neji looked forward through the trees until he found what he was looking for.

"Naruto. They're stopping. I can't see Sasuke, but there is a barrel that reeks of evil that is heavily guarded against my Byakugan. There are no traps in the area."

"There are."

Everyone looked at Naruto.

"They suspect they are being pursued. Neji. Look at each of them closely."

Neji nodded and focussed his byakugan towards each member. Neji's eyes widened as he looked at the six armed one.

"He has strings of chakra attached to each finger. Each one leads to a web like structure of chakra that surround them."

Naruto thought about it.

"Are there any near us?"

Neji nodded and pointed to one right next to Kiba, who froze. Naruto looked at the web and thought over his options. Eventually he pulled out one of the Hiraishin kunai.

"We have one shot at this. None of you can move fast enough to get in there before they realise it. Neji, I want you to go with Shikamaru and help him get in range for him to use his Kagemane. Neji is the only one capeable of seeing those chakra webs. However, Kiba. Can you smell them?"

Kiba conentraited and took a few wiffs of the air around him.

"Yeah. It's faint, but I can tell when I get close to one."

Naruto nodded.

"Kiba, I need you to go with Chouji and flank them from the other side and provide us with raw power if things get out of hand. Tenten, Shino. I need you two to remain here and provide cover the second I get in there. It's a decent warning system, however, I belive he will let the first warning slide if we conceal our presence. Remember, one slip up. No more. Go."

Both of Naruto's teammates were lead by their person towards their assigned points while Naruto chose a position for the kunai. When Naruto felt his friends get into position, he threw the kunai at a space between them and felt himself being drawn into the chakra tunnel. Tenten and Shino immediately launched an assult while Shikamaru caught them with his Kagemane. Naruto saw that at the end of the chakra tunnel there was a dome of chakra around it with the kunai at the center. Naruto reappeared and ripped the barrel out from under the female Oto nin and grabbed the kunai to go back, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"That was some move, brat. But don't think I'm going to let you use it again."

Naruto turned slowly to see that the guy with green lipstick and two heads was poking a hand out of his chest and grasping Naruto's shoulder. The man concerntraited and Naruto saw Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu retreat and then saw two blook soaked shuriken fly into the clearing from where Shikamaru was. Naruto's eyes narrowed. The wound had been light. Only just enough to break Shikamaru's concerntraition, as his chakra signature was still strong. The female threw a kunai with several explosive tags at the position Naruto had come from, as well as Shikamaru's and Chouji's location. All three parties flew into the clearing from the force of the explosion and landed ungracefully at Naruto's feet. The female of the Oto group smiled at him in a rather malicious fashion.

"What's this? I threw some kunai into the bushes and got some pieces of shit. Hand over the barrel, kid."

The large orange haired guy looked at his female teammate dissaprovingly.

"Tayuya, women-"

"I don't care, fatass."

Naruto had no choice. He put the barrel onto the ground and backed away from it. His friends were too close to slap an explosive note on the barrel and be done with it. Naruto was aware of the double headed guy of the four had dissapeared and reappeared behind him, giving him a punch to the high back, sending him flying into a tree.

"NARUTO!"

_'He's fast...'_

Naruto got to his feet only to be pulled up by the collar and punched several times.

_'How? How can he be so fast?'_

The man laughed as he let the orange haired guy pass.

"This is the guy Sasuke-Sama is so scared of? Why would he be scared of such a weak piece of trash?"

The orange haired guy picked Naruto up turned around and threw him against another tree before turning to the others.

"I feel sorry for you, having such an idiot for a leader. Don't worry, I'll finish him to save you the pain of being led by that piece of trash."

What he didn't count on was that Naruto came flying back at him with a kunai in hand and put it to his throat.

"Don't underestimate others from your first opinions."

The six armed man smirked.

"You're getting slower than normal, Jirobou."

The dual headed guy reappeared behind Naruto and punched him to his other friends before forming a few seals and announcing his jutsu.

"Doton Kekkai: Dorodomu!"

Jiroubou slammed his palms onto the ground and created two waves of chakra which surrounded in the group in a circule, which raised into a barrier or rock, completely sealing them off. Naruto felt there was something very wrong with this. Naruto turned to Neji.

"Neji! Activate your Byakugan!"

Neji did so and looked around, his eyes widening.

"It's absorbing our chakra..."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"I see..."

Thy heard a voice from outside.

"Hope you kiddies have a lot of chakra. I'm rather hungry..."

The idea hit Naruto as he smiled.

"How much chakra do you think you can handle?"

Everyone turned to Naruto.

"Alot more than you runts have to offer, that's for sure."

Naruto got an evil glint in his eye as he turned to the others.

"All of you, he's going to drain us dry at this rate. However, I have an idea. I need all of you to back away from me."

Shikamaru and Chouji's eyes widened.

"You're going to use that?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. What you guys see me do does not leave this dome, got it?"

They nodded as Naruto shut his eyes and began a low hum, which gradually built into a roar.

"First gate, Kaimon... KAI!"

Chakra exploded out of Naruto. However, the chakra wasn't blue. It was blood red, full of hate and killing intent. Everyone staggered back at the sheer force of the chakra and the walls started to strain under the force of the chakra as Naruto. Jiroubou had no clue what was going on in there, but the wall was quickly being destroyed from an overload of chakra.

"Impossible... How can one brat have so much chakra? I've got to let go before that chakra gets to me. That isn't ordinary chakra. Jiroubou sprang back as the dome's power source was cut, making it give way under the stress. Or in this case, explode outwards. Jiroubo sheilded his face with his hands as the rocks bounced off him and he saw what had caused the problem. The 'trash' was emmiting some sort of monsterous chakra that was just as evil as Orochimaru's chakra. The chakra died down and the boy dropped to his knees panting. Jiroubou looked at the boy in interest.

"That was some chakra you got there kid. This could get interesting."

Naruto got to his feet and saw that the other three had taken the barrel and left. They didn't have any more time to waste.

"Guys, we need to move. They're going to cross the border at this rate."

Jiroubou smirked at the boy.

"And what makes you think I'm going to let you, trash?"

Chouji stepped out from the line.

"I am, fatass."

Chouji hasd obviously struck a nerve.

"Who are you calling fatass?"

Tenten looked at Chouji dubeously.

"Can you really handle it by yourself?"

Naruto looked at Tenten.

"Tenten, I've known Chouji for a long time know. Chouji's gentle with his friends, but to an enemy, he's a lot more resolute."

Chouji pulled out a bag of soldier pills and handed them to Naruto.

"Go Naruto. I'll take care of him."

Chouji pulled out a glass medicine container with three different coloured pills in it. Naruto's and Shikamaru's eyes widened. Naruto looked at Chouji.

"He's got it in the bag. Chouji, whatever you do, don't go passed the green spinach pill."

Chouji nodded.

"Sure thing, Naruto. The rest of you. Go!"

Naruto led the others past the huge guy, who was about to turn around and stop them when Chouji charged forward and hurled the big guy over his shoulder. Naruto watched with a pang in his heart as he left his childhood friend behind. All he could do was...

"Believe."

The others turned to him.

"Believe in him. Chouji had a reason he wanted to stay behind. He will not lose."

They all nodded and smiled as they turned back to continue the chase. Naruto whispered to himself.

"Chouji... Good luck... My friend..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**30 Minutes Later:**

Jiroubou released his stage two form and Chouji had just consumed the red pepper pill, catching Jiroubou's fist as if it was nothing.

"You may be ten times stronger in that form, however, in this form... I'm 100 TIMES STRONGER!"

Jiroubou noticed butterflies made of chakra appearing from everywhere and attaching themselves to Chouji's back, forming butterfly wings made of chakra. Chouji turned around and slammed Jiroubou in the stomach with his elbow, sending him sprawling.

"That was for eating the last bite of an expensive meal."

Chouji walked up to him and slogged him in the face as he tired to get back up.

"That was for calling me a pawn and a fatass."

Chouji walked up to him and stood over him, flaring killing intent as he spoke his next part of the judgment.

"However, all of that means nothing. What I will not forgive..."

Tha chakra drained from his wings and focussed into a flaming blue aura around his left fist.

"Is calling my best friend a piece of trash. That's worse than eating the last chip. It's worse than calling me a fatass or a pawn. It's completely unforgivable!"

Jiroubou's eyes widened.

"This last blow is heavier than life!"

"Wait! You don't have to rush it!"

"Too late!"

Chouji slammed his fist into Jiroubou's chest as the ground underneith the strike buckled under the blow, creating a 10 foot deep crater. As the dust settled, an unnerving calm settled over the battle field. Chouji panted.

_'Naruto... I did it... I beat him...'_

Chouji walked away from his dead opponent and trudged slowly after the boys, using will power alone to move with the spasms of pain wracking his body. Chouji was vaguly aware of a buttefly leading him forward until it landed on a tree. When Chouji got close enough to it to make out the tree clearly with his blurred tunnel vision, he remembered his father's words the day he had met Naruto and began crying.

_'We believe in you Chouji.'_

"That must be Naruto and Shikamaru..."

_'Come on! We're waiting!'_

"Kiba..."

_'You will be fine.'_

"Shino..."

_'Otousan... I've made lots of friends...'_

Chouji clutched his chest where his heart was as a particular violent jolt of pain went through his chest and he slumped down, unable to go any further.

_'Naruto... I'm sorry... I won't be able to catch up... I didn't want to call you, because I know how important you are to this mission... Sorry, Naruto...'_

With that, Chouji slumped and fell into unconciousness as the last of his life began slipping away.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Just Then With the Others:**

Both Naruto and Shikamaru were aware of the chakra butterfuly that flew past their heads and stared in disblief. Everyone caught this and Shino updated them.

"Chouji is severely injured. If he does not recive medical treatment in the next 15 minutes-"

"Don't, Shino."

Everyone looked at Shikamaru except Naruto.

"Chouji was both my own and Naruto's first friend, but Chouji was closer to Naruto than me. He doesn't need to hear it."

Shikamaru looked back to see Naruto on the verge of tears, which he had not seen since Kurenai was stabbed on the bridge in the Wave. Naruto shook the forming tears away and regathered his resolve, concerntraiting on not sacrificing any more precious people. Shikamaru offered Naruto a consoling look before turning around and they continued onwards, trying to steel himself from the pain he was feeling.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Minutes Later:**

Kiba and Pakkun had both confirmed that there were no traps up ahead. Neji frowned.

"That is strange. Why would they not leave traps for us?"

At that point, Naruto formed a calculative frown.

"They think we're dead."

Everyone turned to Naruto. Neji's eyes narrowed.

"You mean they wouldn't be expecting us, but their teammate?"

Shikamaru thought about it.

"Exactly. This puts us at an advantage."

Naruto went ahead of the team, using a Henge to approach his 'teammates'.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Sound Group:**

Tayuya looked backwards.

"Where is that fatass? He's late."

Kidomaru turned around and smiled.

"No. Hes' here."

Jibourou came out of the bushes. Sakon stared at him.

"What took you so long."

"One of the kids had a lot more chakra than he should have."

Tayuya snorted.

"Whatever. Carry the barrel, fatass."

"Tayuya, women-"

"Women shouldn't do this, women shouldn't do that. I don't care. Just carry the damn thing, fatass."

When Jibouro nodded but didn't answer, they smirked at him.

"You're unusually obedient today, Jibourou."

Shikamaru had to think fast.

"Whatever chakra that kid had wasn't human chakra. I don't have the energy to argue after what it did to me."

"I wonder if that's true..."

"I don't think we can give you the barrel. You're not Jiroubo."

Shikamaru scowled and dispelled the Henge.

"Not bad for a punk who's only met the guy for a few minutes. You had us going there. Sakon, Tayuya. Take the barrel and go. I'll handle this."

The other two used the basic body flicker to escape just as Kidomaru spat a chakra infused spider web at Shikamaru point blank, which took him to a nearby tree and plastered him there. Kidomaru looked awound. He was surrounded.

"Oh? There are lots of them. This should be fun for a while. Try and keep me amused."

Kidomaru was aware of someone behind him and released his chakra strings that held him in their currect position before spitting out a web and catching the white eyed boy. He proceeded to laugh as he wrapped him up in a cocoon and looked to the left as he saw the boy in the blueish white trenchcoat sending an army of bugs at him from his shirt sleaves. Kidomaru smirked and jumped away, straight into Tenten's weapon barrage. The weapons however, just bounced off him as he spat another web and stuck her to the tree.

"Nice plan. However, it's impossible to harm me with regular or even chakra attacks of that level."

His skin turned golden and then crumbled off to reveal some sort of armour made of some sort of chakra resistant substance. He turned around to see a pair of spinning grey tornadoes flying at him.

"GATSUUGA!"

He dodged again only to find himself aware of several presences behind him and turned to see Naruto, or more correctly, a bunch of Naruto Kage Bunshins. Kidomaru smirked as he reappared behind the clones and produced a ball of the web like stuff and spat it out and caught the 6 Kage Bunshins before dropping down to the branch below.

"Hmph. Kage Bunshin. Not bad for someone your age. Well, why don't we play a game? It's called: Guess the real one!"

Kidomaru chewed and produced six golden chakra threats which instantly began hardening as they hit the air. He snapped them off and held one in each hand.

"First one's the one on the far end! Ha!"

He threw the sickle like weapon and it slammed into the clone, getting rid of it. He smirked.

"Next is the one on the other side!"

He threw another one and the Kage Bunshin burst into smoke.

"Oh? He's a lucky one. Next will be two! It's a 50/50 chance!"

He hurled two of the objects and burst two more Kage Bunshins.

"Wow, he's very lucky! This, time, I'll only throw one. Again, a 50/50 chance."

He threw it and the second last Naruto burst into smoke. Kidomaru smirked.

"I've never met someone so lucky. However, this is the end."

He threw it it hit the last Naruto, which burst into smoke. His eyes widened as he felt three presences coming at him from behind and turned to see another Naruto, Shino and Neji attackng him. He understood Naruto, but the other two were a mystery. He aimed a web at Naruto only to have it sliced in half by the white eyed boy.

"What the?"

He turned around to see the others had been freed and were now on the branch behind him. Naruto jumped overhead as Shino and Neji stared at their opponent.

"That which is made by chakra will be destroyed by chakra. Both our clans specialise in affecting another's chakra flow."

Naruto looked at both of them.

"The two of you can handle him, right?"

Shino nodded slightly.

"Yes. Out of all of us, we are best suited to fight him. Naruto. Get Sasuke back. We're counting on you."

Naruto turned around.

"Whatever you do, don't die. I know you'll win, but I'm not losing any more of you."

"We won't Naruto. Hurry, or you'll miss Sasuke."

Naruto nodded and took the last remaining members of the team onwards, leaving Neji and Shino to deal with their opponent.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**An Hour Later:**

A pair of golden arrows ripped through the forest, creating widespred destruction and pierced Neji and Shino through the kidney. Both of them stumbled before they just managed to right themselves. This guy was as good an analysier as Shikamaru and as strong as Naruto, if not stronger. Both of them, with the last of their strength grabbed the chakra string attached to the arrow and sent their prospective weapons either along it or through it. Both of them severed the chakra string and ran lopsidedly at their opponent who was falling through the trees. Both of them unleashed a final attack of Jyuuken strikes or Kikai bugs and collapsed, as did the Oto nin. There was no energy left for speeches of fate, destiny or how they beat the other. All that was left was to await the sweet embrace of death.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Quarter of a Day Later with the Oto Group:**

Tayuya was aware of the barrel being thumped from the inside as she halted on a branch. Sakon stopped beside her.

"Is it starting?"

"No. It's too early for it to start."

They looked behind them to see three Konoha shinobi facing them. Naruto smiled as he threw a Hiraishin kunai at them and they took the barrel and jumped, smiling.

"We're not falling for that again, kid."

Naruto smirked.

"I wonder if that's true..."

Both of them landed and felt the loss of control over their bodies. They dropped the barrel when Shikamaru moved his hands out to the side, which forced them to do so as well.

"Shit! The barrel!"

Naruto flew to the branch using Hiraishin and formed several hand seals.

_'Now's a good a time as any...'_

"Katon: Karyu Endan!"

The Oto nins stared in horror as the flames hit the barrel and exploded. When it cleared, they felt someone land behind them. Someone very familiar.

"Kimimaro..."

"Why have you taken so long, Tayuya? Sakon? Orochimaru-Sama is getting impatient. The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because you have a mission to complete. Kill them."

Their eyes widened as Shikamaru turned to Naruto.

"Naruto! Take Tenten and go after him! Kiba and I will hold these two off!"

Naruto nodded and motioned Tenten to follow him straight past the two Oto nins. Naruto tutned to look at both of his friends.

_'Don't you dare die... Shikamaru... Kiba...'_

Tenten stared at Naruto.

"Is it really just alright for you to leave them there? Aren't they-"

"My friends? You have no idea how hard this is for me to sacrifice my friends to get this god damn S.O.B back. When I find him... **He's dead**."

Tenten gasped as Naruto's appearance changed. His hair became unrully, his charka started rolling off him, but it was crimson instead of blue. It raidiated massive amounts of killer intent and hatred as Naruto got to all fours and increased his speed. The most suprising of Naruto's changes was when he opened his eyes, they were no longer sapphire blue. They were ruby red and the pupils were now slits. They were the eyes of someone who promised the enemy a long slow painful death. Naruto roared as he charged ahead, leaving Tenten to try and keep up with the blonde.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**In a Clearing not too far Ahead:**

Kimimaro turned around to see the boy who was apparently the captain of the team charge him and engage in a brawling style of taijutsu usually associated with a beast. Kimimaro dropped the barrel and focused on dodging the blonde's ferocious volley of attacks. When Naruto thought he had pushed Kimimaro sufficiently away, he dissapared and landed next to the barrel.

"**Take another step, and this barrel will be nothing but ash."**

Kimimaro stopped his advance. This boy was serious. If the barrel was destroyed before it's contents were ready, the contents would die without fail. At that point, a kunoichi appeared an Naruto looked directly at Kimimaro.

"**Tenten. Use 'it'."**

Tenten nodded and pulled out two scrolls before performing four hand seals.

"Sourshouryu!"

The clearing exploded into smoke as a pair of dragons ro se into the air and twisted around themselves before revealing the scrolls as she jumped up and began hurling the weapons at the white haired man who pulled out a sword that was made of bone and began parraying every single weapon. However, once the smoke cleared, Kimimaro saw that Naruto had slapped explosive seals all over the barrel.

"**Mission success."**

Naruto activated the tags and jumped back as the explosion ripped through the clearing. When it began clearing, Naruto sensed a very evil presence at the explosions center. Once it did clear, Naruto saw Sasuke, or what he presumed to be Sasuke lauging manically. His features returned to normal and he charged off. Naruto looked at Tenten.

"**Tenten, hold this bastard off. I'm going after him."**

Naruto used the modified Shushin no Jutsu to get past Kimimaro, leaving the weapons mistress to handle him while he ran after Sasuke.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Valley of the End:**

Ssuke jumped off the Shodiame's statue as Naruto got into the clearing.

"**Afraid of me, Dobe?"**

Sasuke flinched and turned around to sneer at Naruto who just smiled.

"**That look suits you. Even with that level of power, Itachi would still beat you into the ground."**

Sasuke let of a fairly large amount of killing intent.

"What the hell would you know? You've never faced Itachi!"

"**Really? After he had his fun with you, he came after me. Even with as much power as I'm using now, he still wouldn't have taken me seriously. You're not even worth his time. Letting you live was a mistake."**

Sasuke charged at Naruto who grinned. Hook, line and sinker. People were so easy to manipulate.

"Shut up, bastard!"

Sasuke charged him, and Naruto charged back. They grabbed each other's fists and exchanged blows before Naruto punched Sasuke in the face and proceeded to lay into him. After he felt Sasuke got the point, he slugged Sasuke in the gut, sending him spiralling towards the water and formed several hand seals, remembering if he used jutsus Sasuke didn't know, he'd just copy them.

"**Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"**

The fire caught up with Sasuke just as he hit the water. The resulting explosion and hiss of instant evaporation of the water resounded throught the area. Naruto let the Kyuubi's chakra subside as he waited for the Uchiha to get back to the surface. Sasuke stared up at Naruto who looked at him in a fashion that clearly sceamed 'Come on, do something amazing. I'm bored.'

"You know something Sasuke?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"I'm sure you're aware of your beloved fan girls."

Sasuke involuntarily shuddered at the thought. That was another reason for leaving Konoha. To get away from the rabid monsters commonly known as fan girls.

"The fact that you had them is completely your own fault."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto in disbelief.

"Nani?"

This was going to be fun. Toying with the Uchiha's mind. Normally, he didn't do this sort of thing, but these were extenuating circumstances.

"Girls dig the angst filled emo type. They thrive on it. It kicks up a mixture between maternal instincts, obsession and lust. In other words, a completely twisted one sided relationship. You really are a 'dobe'. First, you act 'cool' to hide your true feelings after the massacre, and wonder why the girls won't leave you alone. Secondly, you can't deal with the fact that you were beaten in the academy scores by me, and tried to challenge me to a fight, thinking the outcome would be different. Then, at the Chuunin exams, you increased the potential number of examinees by two times, thinking it'd be 'cool' to point it out. Then, you challenge me to a fight, not even realising that you never stood a chance, foolish little brother."

All this time, Naruto had been using a specialised Genjutsu simmilar to a Henge to slowly transform not only his voice, but his body into that of Uchiha Itachi. This Genjutsu was far above Sasuke's level of perception, even with his Sharingan. It had taken Naruto almost half a year to master this move, and he was glad he had kept at it. Only another Genjutsu specialist would be able to see through the guise. Sasuke was livid. His insanity that had been bubbling constantly under the surface was reaching boiling point. He had to thank Ibiki for giving him psychology lessons. Without the two Jounin's help, this wouldn't have been possible. All that was needed was one final push.

"You will never be able to surpass me. I had hoped that letting you live would eventually provide me with a challenge. I see now that even our father was stronger than you ever could be, Otouto."

That did it. Sasuke screamed like a banshee as he charged Naruto. Sasuke's power had definitely increased, but he now lacked cunning and the ability to fight properly, relying on his rage and bloodlust to pull through. Naruto saw the cursed seal spread over Sasuke's body. Naruto avoided Sasuke's reckless attacks in a very Itachi like manner until he saw an opening when Sasuke's head was turned and discretely replaced himself with a Kage Bunshin and let Sasuke land a 'lucky' kick as he made the clone explode. Sending Sasuke flying into the cliff, shattering a large portion of it. Sasuke fell to the water and stared at the sky as Naruto appeared next to him.

"Don't you see Sasuke? You were a fool. I'm sure if you had asked me to help you with your training, I would have gladly agreed."

"Shut up."

Naruto looked down at Sasuke.

"You've always had a family. You would never know what it's like to lose someone."

"That's not entirely true."

Sasuke looked at Naruto.

"For the first four years of my life, I had no one. Nothing. People hunted me down in mobs, burnt my possessions and tried to assasinate me. For something I had no control over. They took particular relish in attempting to kill me on my birthdays. For the first three years, the old man Hokage saved me. However, on my fourth birthday, he didn't come. I was on the verge of death when Kakashi-Niisan saved me. I didn't know it then, but Kakashi was my father's prize student. After I got out of hospital, who reluctantly treated me when Niisan swore if they didn't, they'd all be tried for high treason, he adopted me. Even after your family was murdered, you still had people waiting on you hand and foot. It was hard wasn't it? Not having people recognise you for who you were, but what you stood for? I know exactly how that feels, Sasuke. My first four years of life were a living hell for that exact reason. However, while people lavished praise and whatnot on you for being an Uchiha, they attempted to kill me for being something that I hold prisoner. Humans are stupid, shallow and hypocritical, Sasuke. If they suffer a loss, they will seek anyone to blame it on except themselves. However, I put up with the fact that out of every hundred or so bastards, there is one person who is not shallow, is not hypocritical, and not stupid. Those are the sort of people you gather around you. The rest, you push away, in a sense. Ignore them, pay them no attention. Did you ever find someone like that, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly and Naruto sighed.

"Believe me Sasuke. Those people are there. You just have to know where to look and what to look for. Personally, I've never looked at you as 'the venerable Uchiha'. I've always seen you as Sasuke. To me, clan names mean little to nothing. Sasuke. I'm giving you one chance and one chance only. Come back. If you come back now, I can explain that Orochimaru brainwashed you and you were not yourself. However, if you leave now, you will never be able to return. What is your answer?"

Naruto became very aware of a powerful presence, one that far dwarfed his own coupled with aq manical rasping laughter. There was no mistaking this chakra.

"Orochimaru."

"Naruto-Kun. You have no idea how much you remind me of your father. It's a pity he died so young. He could have been a great man."

Naruto reined in his emotions. He was not going to play this game at the snake's pace.

"Yeah. He was. No wonder he got the position of Yondaime instead of you."

That got the desired reaction. Orochimaru let out a non too small wave of killer intent which Naruto had to steel himself against to appear unaffected. Naruto smirked at him.

"I have no idea why you chose Sasuke, but it's fitting really. An idiot container for an idiot soul."

Naruto was aware that he had less than a five percent chance of surviving this encounter, even when he unleashed his full powers. He might as well go down in style. He was aware of Orochimaru standing right next to him.

"Watch what you say to me, gaki."

Naruto smirked and jumped back. There was no point in running. Ororchimaru would just catch up to him. Ororchimaru went over to Sasuke and grinned manically at him.

"Sasuke-Kun. Watch from up there and I will show you the kind of power I can give to you."

Sasuke slowly got up and went to the sidelines to watch the battle. If Naruto tried anything on Sasuke, he would be killed. He should have just kiled him, but his heart interfered with his sense of judgment. Orochimaru smirked at Naruto.

"Regretting something, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto wasn't going to answer that one, so he looked at Orochimaru.

"I'm not going to bother wasting useless jutsus on you."

Orochimaru smiled.

"Hmm. Seems you understand, Naruto-Kun."

Naruto sighed and channeled a huge amount of chakra.

"Watch closely, Orochimaru. Here's a jutsu I highly doubt you can ever use even if you learn it."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

"Show me then, Naruto-Kun."

Naruto bit his thumbs and pulled his hands apart and began forming a dual set of 5 mirrored one handed seals, the only ones he had learnt specifically for this jutsu.

"Nijuu Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Naruto slammed both palms onto the surface of the water and Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

"A dual summon. How troublesome."

Orochimaru bit his thumb and smeared it on his forearm before forming the seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The clouds cleared and three summon bosses appared. A frog, a wolf and a snake. Sasuke stared in awe. He knew Naruto could summon both, but at the same time? And he had used **dual** one handed seals? Not even his third level Sharingan could copy that... Sasuke was wrenched back to reality when he felt the same abnormal chakra coming from Naruto he had felt when he got here, however, this time, it was much stronger. Naruto started channeling Kyuubi's chakra through his system to replenish his completely used up regular supply. He stared at Orochimaru, and then at Sasuke, and back again. Manda looked up at Orochimaru.

"**Oi, Orochimaru! Why did you summon me to such a troublesome situation?"**

There was no answer from said snake Sennin, so Manda let off a hiss of anger.

"**Answer me, teme! Or do you want me to eat you?"**

"Surely, you have noticed the two in front of us?"

"**Are you implying something? Watch your words carefully. I may or may not eat you depending on what you say."**

"Manda, I may be a sannin, however, two summon bosses is troublesome."

Manda seemed to consider this before he turned his eyes back to his amphibian and canine counterparts.

"**You had better prepare 100 sacrifices for me."**

Orochimaru smiled.

"Sure."

Gamabunta took a long drag of his pipe and looked at Manda.

"**I haven't seen those two in a while. 32 years to be exact."**

Fenrir smiled ferally.

"**It's been over four hundred since I last met Manda."**

Fenrir looked up at Naruto on top of Gamabunta's head.

"**Naruto. One of my pups told me about your actions during the event you call the Chuunin exams. As of now, your signature in the canine contract is solidified."**

Naruto nodded.

"Thanks, Fenrir."

"**No problem. Now, as for you-"**

He looked at Manda.

"**My pups have been asking me what snake meat tastes like for a while now. There may just be enough of you to give them a sample."**

Manda reared up and gave an angry hiss.

"**Try me, teme."**

And so they stared at each other, waiting for some sign to start the battle. It came when an eagle overhead let out a high pitch shreek, setting all three of them into action. Orochimaru formed a hand seal and extended his neck towards Naruto who formed a half ram seal.

"Ninpou: Hari Jizou!"

Naruto was surrounded completely by a shield of golden spikes and Orochimaru backed off, deciding it would be wise not to turn himself into a fine example of human swiss cheese. Manda went to wrap itself around Gamabunta when he felt a sharp stabbing sensation in his side and let out a loud hiss of suprise and pain to see Fenrir biting savagly into Manda's side. Manda let go of Gamabuna who jumped into the air.

"Gamabunta! Give me oil!"

Gamabunta's cheeks swelled with oil as Naruto formed the seals for a Gokakyu no Jutsu.

"Katon: Kyuukyoku Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

Fenrir smiled and dived underground to avoid the jutsu that was coming. The fireball hit the oil and the entire area exploded into intense flames that Sasuke had to shield his eyes from. When the fire cleared, they saw a molted shell that cracked under it's heavy weight. Naruto felt something moving underground.

"Gamabunta! Below!"

"**Nani?"**

The ground directly in front of Gamabunta exploded as Manda's tail tried to stab him, but Gamabunta grabbed the tail and then realised his problem. Manda had used it as a distraction to swallow him from behind. Or, he would have if Fenrir had not come out of the ground in between them and bit into Manda's neck before giving a savage wrench and leaving Manda lying there.

"**Orochimaru, you better believe you're going to pay for putting me in such an unsightly situation! Next time we meet, I'll eat you!"**

Manda poofed out of existance and Orochimaru shot up ontop of Gamabunta's head and began laying into Naruto, who had not expected it. Orochimaru landed a sickening punch to his head which sent him flying off and into the head of the Shodaime, much to the chargrin of the remaining summon bosses.

"**NARUTO!"**

Naruto hit the statues head and fell into the water, lifeless. The link tying the two summon bosses to this world grew too weak and they both poofed out of existance. Orochimaruu laughed manically.

"As you can see, Naruto-Kun. You are nothing compaired to me."

Naruto was not at the moment, in any state to listen. Naruto was dragged into his mind, or more specifically, in front of the cage. The fox opened it's eyes and looked at Naruto.

"**You're weak, brat. Be grateful to me. And that Yondaime Hokage who sealed me inside you!"**

The foxes eyes lit up and Naruto was forcefully ejected from his mind scape. Both Orochimaru and Sasuke felt the chakra coming from Naruto and turned to see a bubbling blood red chakra begin to over take Naruto as the chakra forced him to stand up in a manner usually associated with poorly animated corpses. Sasuke, being the fool he was got too close and Naruto slammed his fist into his face, making Sasuke's skull groan under the pressure before it sent him to the far wall. Naruto groaned in pain as he clutched his chest and then let loose a primal scream of pain, angusih rage and hatred which chilled Sasuke to the bone. Naruto lowered himself onto all fours and steam came off his hands. Naruto let out a guntral snarl as Orochimaru snickered.

"There's no point in trying to scare, me Naruto-Kun. You still do not have the power to defeat me."

Naruto snarled as he got up and released a wave of pure chakra that brought the water up into a wave that overtook Orochimaru. When the water cleared, Orochimaru saw Naruto flying at him, spinning in mid air, trying to claw him with several different attacks in the space of less than a second. The last attack was unnervingly close, and the chakra surrounding his hand spearated and moved on it's own accord, missing him by less than 5 centemeters. Orochimaru smiled.

"It seems that the Kyuubi has partial control of your chakra, Naruto-Kun. Not suprising since you've realeased the first of his tails."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Orochimaru was insinuating that the Kyuubi was connected to Naruto? Naruto snarled as he held out his hand and started pumping a massive amount of the Kyuubi's chakra into it, far more than was necessary. Naruto looked up at Ororchimaru.

"**Odama Rasengan."**

Orochimaru's eyes lit up at the name.

"Oh? The Yondaime's original jutsu? And you've improved it, too. Show me what this new jutsu can do, Naruto-Kun."

Naruto held onto the Kyuubi powered Rasengan as he charged Ororchimaru. Ororchimaru did nothing as Naruto charged forward, and at the last second, Orochimaru grabbed Naruto's hand and threw him into the wall, before producing his sword from his mouth and charged Naruto, running him through and nailing him to the wall. Naruto choaked as it pierced his lung and tried to get it out, but he realised that the blade was coated in a highly toxic poison. Naruto's hand dropped to his side, limply as all he could do was stare at Orochimaru, who was grinning at him evilly.

"Noticed it, have you, Naruto-Kun? The blade produces a highly toxic poison. I'm impressed that even you are alive now. However, you cannot fight any longer."

It was true. The demonic chakra needed to be rediverted to healing just to keep him alive. Even the armour quickly vanished and Naruto slumped into unconciousness. Orochimaru withdrew the sword and let Naruto fall to the ground in a heap, his blood pooling around him. Sasuke had something he had always wanted to see. Naruto's face. Sasuke walked up to him and was about to uncover it when Orochimaru grabbed his wrist.

"There are two Jounin coming. We have to leave."

Sasuke tried to shake Orochimaru off, but he held firm.

"Let go of me."

Ororchimaru held fast and stared at him.

"If we do not leave now, you will most likely die."

Sasuke shut up and followed Ororchimaru over the border as a heavy rain set in.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**5 Minutes Later:**

Kakashi and Kurenai had returned from there missions at almost the same time just over a day ago and were immediately informed of the mission and Sasuke's defection. Both of them looked at each other, completely oblivious to Tsunade trying to hand them there next missions and they dissapeared from the room and ran after Naruto's party. Kakashi had summoned Pakkun who Naruto had dismissed quite some time ago to help them. When they were close to the border, both Jounin's eyes widened at the amount of corrupt and evil chakra being unleashed. Some of it was definitely the Kyuubi', however, the other was far more worrying. It was Orochimaru's. When they got to the valley of the end, the look that greeted them was horrific. It looked as if this place had been the testing ground for several new super powered explosiove tags. However, that was not what caught their attention. It was a very familiar blood soaked blonde who had minimal to no chakra signature. Their eyes widened in fear.

"NARUTO!"

They jumped down the cliff and came to a stop in front of Naruto, checking his vitals. They were there, but he was as good as dead if he didn't recieve emergency treatment right away. Not too long after, a squad of medical nins in their trademark beige coats and pants came down and saw Naruto's condition and applied emergency treatment to get him into a stable condition before taking him back home to report the failure to retrive Uchiha Sasuke.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A Week Later:**

Naruto had been brought back and rushed to hospital, in a critical condition as had most of Naruto's teammates. Tsunade had personally overseen the majority of the treatments, while Shizune had overseen the others. A week after the battle, people were demanding answers. Where was the Uchiha? It took a week for Naruto to regain conciousness after the battle, and when he did, he found both Kakashi and Kurenai next to him, looking at him worridly. Naruto tried to open his mouth and speak, but he was unable to. His throat was dry as a desert, which Kurenai seemed to notice because she poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. Naruto tok three huge gulps and finished off the glass.

"Arigato... Kurenai-Chan..."

"No problem, Naruto."

Naruto looked at their expressons and noticed that they had quite a few emotions showing. Anger, sympathy and pain. Naruto looked at each of them.

"What happened while I was out?"

Kakashi sighed.

"The villagers are demanding answers, and are on the verge of blaming you for the failure."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"What did they expect me to do? Kill Orochimaru by myself and bring Sasuke back while I was at it?"

Kurenai sighed and sat back.

"Those of us who know you personally Naruto know what happened. However, to the villagers, nothing is more important than their 'precious Uchiha'. Tsunade asked to see you when you as soon as you were concious. She didn't sound too happy."

Naruto looked at Kurenai.

"Nani?"

Kurenai shook her head.

"It's a long story. I guess you should get changed and go see her."

Naruto sighed and got out of bed. Due to the Kyuubi's marvelous healing abilities, whenever Naruto was wounded, the moment he woke up, he was pretty much in top shape again. Kakashi and Kurenai left the room to give Naruto some privacy while he changed. Once he had donned his usual gear, he walked out of the room to see his team there, looking at him. All of them had some sort of injury that had still not healed. Such as Tenten had her right arm in a sling, Kiba had medical tape wrapped around his middrift, while the others sported some kind of sign of being injured. Naruto nodded at them as they got up and followed him to Tsunade's office in the hospital. Once they got there, Naruto opened the door when he was waved in by the single ANBU guard. Tsunade looked up from her desk. Her eyes implied she was tired, but there were no other visable signs of it. Whatever that Genjutsu was, it was good. The team stood in front Tsunade who looked at them.

"Give me a full report."

Naruto proceeded to tell Tsunade and Shizune who was by her side absolutely everything. When Naruto finished, Tsunade and Shizune were gobsmacked. Naruto glared at her.

"Next time you send us on a suicide mission against one of your former teammates, give me some warning."

Tsunade slowly nodded.

"What we were told by the medical team was very different. Do all of you agree with Naruto's account?"

Everyone of them nodded. Naruto had told 'the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth'. Tsunade sighed as she unconciously massaged her temples. Naruto waited for her response. Tsunade finally looked up.

"I have no doubt that you are telling the truth. The majority of the villagers will be saited with the fact that you tried to take on Orochimaru by yourself. However, some of them will still blame you. Those few may try and convince the others that you were directly responsible for the loss of the Uchiha. Now, one final matter. Your comments to Haruno Sakura."

Naruto glared at her and ground out his words.

"She's not fit to be a kunoichi. Her 'crush' has exceeded the limits of what can be described as a crush and has progressed to obsessive compulsive disorder of the highest degree. She admitted to being willing to betray the leaf just to go with Sasuke. I'm officially requesting she be stripped of rank and ninja status for treason and insubordination."

Tsunade nodded slowly.

"Would you be willing to provide evidence should it be necessary?"

Naruto nodded. He wanted her gone for good. Even Ino understood when a crush had gone out of control and had the sense to stop. Apparently, Sakura didn't. He hated people who would betray their village for such trivial reasons even more so than people who betrayed it for 'good' reasons. Tsunade sighed as she looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, Jiraiya has asked that he be allowed to take you on a two and a half year training mission."

Everyone's eyes widened, none more so than Naruto's.

"Wha... What? You expect me to just up and leave for two and a half years after something like this?"

Tsunade sighed. She could feel one monster of a headache coming on. Lucky she had her emergency 'medicine' laying in a draw of the Hokage desk.

"It's for that exact reason that Jiraiya has requested to take you. He feels that you could easily become the next Hokage, however, you will not be able to learn everything you need to here. If you accept, this will be classified as a compound double S rank mission. I cannot tell you more than that unless you accept."

Naruto sighed. He would have to leave his best friends and Senseis to go on a training mission with the living god of all perverts. If he didn't, he would be free from attempted corruption of becoming a super pervert for quite some time. However, he would not be able to become Hokage. If he did go, he would be able to learn from possibly the only seal master left in the world and become Hokage. However, if he did go and was turned to the 'dark side', Kurenai would never want to go out with him, assuming their relationship even got that far. Decisions, decisions... Shikamaru and Chouji raised an eyebrow at Naruto's calculated look. He didn't think something over this seriously for long unless there was major repercussions for both choices. Naruto smiled lazily as he looked at Tsunade, reaching his decision.

"I'll go. But I want a week to do whatever I want within the limitations of the law before I leave, no compromises."

Tsunade smiled. It was a reasonable request, given the suddenness of it. She quickly conluded the meeting and called Jiraiya in so they could discuss the mission.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

A tired and hungry Naruto walked out of the Hokage's office, inten on getting home, stuffing himself and going to bed. However, fate would have it that one very angry pink headed Konoichi would storm up to him and began berating him, along with a group of friends. Naruto smirked under his mask. How typical of a regular human. Try and seek safety in numbers. Naruto wait until Sakura had run out of breath, not listening to a word she said.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Naruto smiled. It was time to take her highness down several hundred pegs.

"How well do you think you could have survived single combat against Orochimaru?"

Sakura didn't understand.

"What has that got to do with it?"

"Answer the question and you'll find out."

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Why should I?"

Naruto smiled. Time to pull her down from the clouds.

"I thought so. He woudln't even have to use a ninjutsu, genjutsu or straight taijutsu attack to kill you. Just some killer intent and a kunai to the head."

That remark got a far better reaction that Naruto had aimed for. He pressed his advantage.

"So, considering he wouldn't even take you seriously, how far do you think I could have gotten against him when I faced him in single combat to retrive Sasuke after facing all five of his personal bodyguards? Sure, I landed some blows on him and defeated Manda, king of the snakes, but I got my rear end handed to me. It was a miracle I even survived a stab through the lung with a sword that produces poison strong enough to kill an elephant with a deep wound."

With that, Naruto strolled off, acutely aware of the dumbstruck looks from the mob of girls behind him and the pathetic amount of killer intent that would be more apropriately labelled extreme hatred from the pink haired woman leading them. Normally, he wasn't like this, but the fact that people were being ignorant and once again blaming him for something that was well and truly beyond his control struck a very deep and sensitive nerve. A nerve that brought out the darker aspects of him. The interogator within that enjoyed toying with peoples minds to see how badly he could break them with just words. He had little doubt that the Kyuubi played a direct role in that somewhere himself as well. Naruto shook the fact from his mind as he made his way home, making sure he was not being followed. He could not have the location of his and Kakashi's home revealed to the general public lest they get rowdy and attempt to destroy it, or worse, the entire appartment complex.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Inside the Appartment:**

Naruto opened the door to see more than he had bargained for. He really was just looking for something to eat and a sleep, not all of his sensei's in the room, including Iruka and the 'Ero-Sennin'. They all looked up as the door opened. Naruto groaned.

"Guys, I'm not leaving for another week. You didn't have to-"

Iruka got up, looking rather distressed.

"Naruto, that's not what we're here about! Why did you fight Orochimaru? You could have been very easily killed if it wasn't for Kurenai-San and Kakashi-San!"

Naruto took an empty stool and pulled up.

"Iruka-Sensei, if I had tried to run, how far do you think I would have gotten before Orochimaru caught up to me?"

Iruka though about that. He had a good point.

"Iruka-Sensei, if I had run, I wouldn't have gone 500 meters before he caught me. If I had used Hiraishin to get out of there, assuming I had enough kunais to do so, I would have collapsed from chakra exhaustion pretty soon after leaving. It's not an S rank jutsu for nothing. If I had, he could have killed me unopposed."

Iruka sat back down. Naruto was practically falling asleep on the chair, which they all seemed to notice. Kurenai sighed.

"Naruto, I think you had better get to bed. You can hardly sit let alone talk."

"Yeah..."

Naruto got up and trudged to the bedroom like a zombie looking for sustinance.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Days Later:**

On the first two days of his week he was required to give evidence at Sakura's trial for treason, using his entire team as witnesses to support his claim, ending up in her being stripped of her ninja rank and privledges. The next day, he was walking with Neji, chatting about things in general when both boys had seen an older version of Sakura, most likely her mother screaming obcenities at him like a banshee as she charged him, waving a kunai in the air.

_'I can see why Sakura had no skill in the academy...'_

Naruto knocked the kunai away and pulled her arms behind her back. This was getting out of hand. Naruto couldn't have had better luck having a Hyuuga, and a friendly one at that, as his witness. Even a branch family member held a lot of power in the community. Neji was no exception. Soon enough, people had crouded around, demanding what was going on and Neji told them that Naruto had been attacked and only used self defense to protect himself. When one man tried to question Neji, he activated the Byakugan.

"Do not question me. In matters that concern the law, Hyuugas speak only the truth, even if it is their own kin at stake. Back off."

Everyone had done so and after conveying the message to a Chuunin who was patrolling nearby, the elder Haruno was taken into custody. Attacking a village ninja was an offense usually met with severe punishment. However, it was never the death penalty unless the ninja had been killed in the attack. Naruto and Neji had kept walking, the mood spoilt.

_'No wonder the Haruno were never ninjas...'_

Naruto pushed it to the back of his mind and went off to say good bye to Gai and his Genin team.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Naruto had taken the next day to spend with Asuma and his Genin team. Asuma decided to test Naruto to see how far he had come with his trench knife combat skills. First to draw blood was the winner. Hinata, Kiba and Shino watched in awe as Naruto went toe to toe with their Jounin instructor and they both danced around each other's strikes with practiced ease, both of them trying to find an opening in which to attack. Naruto could tell Asuma was taking this as he would a fight with an enemy. Naruto realised that this wasn't just a spar, this was a test. The test to see if Naruto had surpassed his sensei in his chosen form of combat. Naruto kept it up for a good fifteen minutes , sweat drenching both of them. Naruto decided to try and finish it by waiting for Asuma to try a right hook at his head, and blocked it with one knife while Asuma tried to strike Naruto's chest with his other knife, which Naruto blocked with his free knife. Both of them struggled to break the other's attack, their chakra extended blades straining against each other. Naruto had to time this perfectly, otherwise, either or both of them could be seriously injured. Naruto brought his knife that was stopping the one from hitting his head and brought it down and then up making a shallow slice at Asuma's forearm as he ducked and rolled away before either of Asuma's knives could touch him. Asuma jumped back as well and they stared at each other. Naruto's eyes widened as a cut appeared in his mask with blood dripping down from the cut that was nothing worse than a bad paper cut. Kiba an Hinata gasped.

"Asuma-Sensei won!"

Shino shook his head.

"Look closely."

Both Shino and Hinata saw that their Sensei's forearm was bleeding from a very simmilar cut as the one on Naruto's face. Asuma smirked while Naruto smiled.

"A draw... Wonder what that means in terms of the test..."

Kiba and Hinata's eyes widened for different reasons. Kiba spoke his point of view.

"Test? **That** was a **test**?"

Hinata nodded.

"Ano... It's often a way for Sensei's to assess if their student has successfully passed their training and has become a qualified fighter of their chosen art..."

Shino nodded in agreement.

"If the student manages to land a hit on the Sensei, they pass. If the Sensei hits the student, they have not yet completed their training. I am unsure as to what a draw means..."

Asuma smirked.

"You've come far in 8 years, Naruto. I wasn't taking it easy on you at all and you still managed to bring this match to a draw... You pass."

Naruto nodded and bowed to his Sensei and Asuma returned it. Both of them got up and shook hands before they came over to sit with the three Genin with some rice balls that Hinata had prepared before she left home for the team. There was plenty for everyone, even Naruto. They munched away happily in the shade of a tree as they talked over everything and nothing at the same time.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Naruto had spent half the day with Ino, who was rather dispondent to the fact that she had no team, however, she was smart enough to see that Naruto was not at fault for any of it, and had handled the situation as any other proper shinobi would have. For the second half of the day, Naruto had spent it with Ibiki, getting some psychology tips as he was teased mercilessly about Kurenai, which he blushed insanely at considering how vivid Ibiki had been with descriptions of what Naruto would do to Kurenai if he had the chance in front of countless ANBU before Ibiki led Naruto to his office. Sortly after they got there, an ANBU knocked on the door and called Ibiki to something, saving Naruto from further embarrisment. Ibiki walked out the door and turned back, saying to Naruto he would retun in a minute. Ibiki left the room and Naruto saw what looked suspiciously like something pink and fluffy sticking out of Ibiki's desk draw, and he couldn't but check it out to confirm that it was indeed the leg of a stuffed fluffy pink elephant. Naruto smirked, trying to hide his laughter as he took each of the animals out and placed them around Ibiki's desk, mostly concerntraited around the name plate which identified him before he took out his camera and snapped away at Ibiki's little collection of the most adorable stuffed animals he had ever seen. He felt Ibiki approaching so he shoved the camera back in his pocket and the animals back in the draw, closing it. Still trying to contain his laughter as he thought up ways of getting payback for the comments about Kurenai. Ibiki looked at Naruto in a completely serious tone.

"Naruto, something's come up. I'll have to cut our time short."

Naruto nodded as he left Ibiki's office going around the corner and broke out into howls of laughter at the absolute stupidity of the notion that the 'badass' Ibiki had a collection of fluffy stuffed toys. If news of this got out into the ANBU and the terrorism and interigation squad, Ibiki would be paid back 10 fold for what he had heaped onto Naruto in front of them and he would be considered a hero among them. Naruto went straight to a trusty little one hour photo printing place he had used before many times, asking for tripple copies and came back an hour later before he took the copies with him. He hid the negatives and went back to the Terror and Interogation headquaters, being stopped by the guard.

"Naruto, Ibiki-San's left. If you-"

Naruto held up a picture of the collection and the man stopped mid sentence, before he began a slight chuckle which turned into full blown laughter. Naruto smiled at the man who smiled straight back at him.

"Seems the tough as nails Ibiki has his softer side too. Remind me never to get on your bad side. Go in and ask for Anko-San. She'll be able to help you."

Naruto nodded.

"Thanks."

The man shook his head as he burst out into laughter, causing a workmate to look at him.

"When did guard duty get so funny?"

The man looked at him colleague.

"Since a certain blonde found out Ibiki's secret."

"What?"

The man smirked.

"You'll find out soon enough."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Ibiki had arrived back to find that everyone was smiling at him. He knew something was up when Anko saw him and burst out laughing.

"Mind telling me what's so funny here, Anko?"

Anko pointed to the wall behind Ibiki who turned and saw what she was referring to.

"Your collection, that's what."

Ibiki went silent as all of the ANBU chucked as they saw him staring at the picture. Ibiki turned back to Anko, clearly very unhappy with the way things had turned out.

"Who did this, Anko?"

Anko smiled with an 'I know something you don't' look.

"Let's see, he was about 5 foot tall, an excruciatingly annoying smile, blonde hair-"

"**NARUTO**!"

Anko laughed again as Ibiki stormed off to find the blonde in question and teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Naruto had decided to spend the second last day with his teammates as they all went to the B.B.Q restraunt and ate to their hearts content while they chatted. At the end of the meal, Chouji had to be admitted to hospital because he had eaten too much, much to Naruto and Shikamaru's amusement. Once they had dropped Chouji off at the hospital, Naruto and Shikamaru decided to play one last game of Shougi that lasted well into the evening, ending in Shikamaru pulling a number Naruto had not been expecting. However, the game had been very close. Naruto bid Shikamaru good night as the lazy pinapple haired Nara waved good bye and left Naruto's appartment.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Day Before Leaving:**

Naruto had spent the last day with both Kakashi and Kurenai. Kakashi had led Naruto into his room and opened a draw that Naruto was not permitted to touch. Kakashi pulled out a rather long katana ahnd Naruto saw on the pure white scabbard it had the Kanji for 'White Fang'. Naruto looked at in it disbelif.

"Niisan, is that your dad's..."

Kakashi smiled.

"Yeah. It's my dad's sword. I want you to have it."

Naruto was gobsmacked at this.

"Niisan... I can't take this..."

Kakashi smiled at Naruto.

"He would have wanted you to have it."

Naruto nodded slowly and accepted the katana and savoured it. He had a limited amount of training in Kenjutsu with Tenten, enough to get him through a fight with a decent street thug, but not enough to get through a fight with anyone better than that. Naruto strapped the sword to his back with the should strap that was attached to the katana's scabbard as he hugged Kakashi.

"Thanks, Niisan..."

"No problems, Otouto."

They separated and left the appartment together to go and get something to eat at Ichiraku's.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Afternoon:**

Naruto had seen Kurenai walking with Asuma, and when they saw each other, Asuma smiled and whispered something just loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"I'll leave you and your bodyfriend to it."

Kurenai triend to send Asuma to the 5th level of hell for a few minutes but he'd already body flickered away, leaving a very embarrised Naruto and Kurenai to deal with it. They both tried to smile at the other, but that just made things worse. Naruto looked up at his Sensei and crush.

"Ano, Kurenai-Chan... I'm going to miss you..."

Kurenai smirked. He may be a hardened ninja, but he still had a soft spot as did all people.

"I know. I'll miss you too, Naru-_Chan_."

The useage and emphasise of Naruto's nickname made him get rather bashful due to the lack of it's usage in recent times. Kurenai hugged Naruto to her, making him go as red as a tomato remebering all of the perverted things Ibiki had soiled his mind with. Naruto looked up at Kurenai's face, only to see it between her rather pronounced... Assets that were between their faces, which caused him to look straight back down. Kurenai smiled at him.

"Naru-Chan, if you resist Jiraiya's attempts to turn you into a pervert while you're away, I'll give you something special when you get back."

Naruto blushed even more if it was possible at the possibilities of what Kurenai could have implied. Naturally, the more perverse thoughts came first.

_'I failed already...'_

Kurenai seemed to sense this and smiled inwardly.

_'That test should prove whether or not you really are more of a man than those three, Naruto...'_

Kurenai leaned down and planted her lips on his forehead, causing Naruto to cease all thoughts and actions before passing out, much to Kurenai's amusement. Kurenai picked him up and took him back to Kakashi's apparetment where she put him on his bed and smiled at him before leaving.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Early Next Morning:**

Naruto had come to the South Gate, expecting to see Jiraiya and his Jounin Sensei's as well as his two teamamtes. However, he was surprised to see everyone there bar the two former members of team 7. Naruto looked shocked for a second before he approached them, recieving last words and pats on the backs from friends as well as advice from each of his Jounin Senseis. Naruto was about to leave before Kiba called out to him.

"Oi, Naruto."

Naruto looked back at him.

"Hmm? Nani?"

"What's it like under that mask?"

"What, you want to see what's under my mask?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, you should have said so."

Ino looked at Naruto hopefully.

"So, you're going to show it to us?"

"I don't mind."

Suddenly, **everyone** except the four Jounins in the group had gathered around as close to Naruto as they could. Their eyes said it all. They were desperate to see what was under it. Naruto slowly reached his hand to his face.

"Here goes..."

Naruto was almost aware of everyone's heart beating faster as he hooked his fingers under his mask.

"Under the mask is..."

Naruto could almost hear them repeating the question in their minds in a strange unison. Naruto ripped down the mask to reveal...

"Nada masuku, osoreiru koreiga?"

Everyone stared at it before they recoiled and a strange Genjutsu fell over the area where everyone lost their colour, turning into grey sillouettes of themsevles as they cried out in confusion while the background turned yellow before they fell to the ground in an uber facefault. Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed nerviously. Gai went on about 'hip' attitudes, Asuma laughed, Kurenai chuckled and Kakashi smiled at the fact that Naruto wore another mask underneith his main one. Naruto waved at them as he poked the perverted hermit who got up and followed Naruto out of the gates waving back at the others who were just starting to recover. Naruto laughed as he heard Kiba's enraged voice call out at him.

"What the hell was that?"

Naruto paid no attention to him as the pair left on their two and a half year journey.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took longer than normal. I had several pressing real life issues to attend to, and I had trouble doing the final battle scene. Anyways, I'll catch you round. Oh, and if you're wondering what the line Naruto used was, translated, it means "Another mask, suprised?" Oh boy, I'll never get tired of that episode...

Now, some of you may ask 'What's going to happen to the next group of Sannin if Sakura's stripped of her status as a ninja?' or 'How could you do that?' Quite a simple answer really. The answer to the first question started when Naruto was four. The second Kakashi took Naruto under his wing, the possibility of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura becoming Sannin went out the window. The Sannin are supposed to comprise of a 'dobe' turn seal master, an elite genius that's completely insane and power hungry, and a female medic on permanent pms with a massive punch to boot. When Kakashi took Naruto under his wing, the 'Dobe' aspect of canon Naruto was turned around. Yes, he was still going to be the generation's seal master, but he was going to be increadably tallented, which would mean that Naruto would **never** be placed on a team with the second best student and the brains trust of the class. A team is always supposed to be properly ballanced, reguardless of the team member's gender. To create a new 'Sannin' team requires the Academy instructors to be incredibly stupid and place a 'dobe' who is actually a genius in hiding with the 'best of the best' and a female with perfect chakra control, a huge forehead to hold all the knowledge in and as Jiraiya so elloquently put it, be a 'flat chested bitch'. If you take away that purple seal from Tsunade's head, notice she also has an unusually large forehead. Now, as for the 'how dare you' part, all I have to say is this. Unless you are an expert in human psychology, don't second guess me. I may not have any training, but I have a decent amount of experience. However, even my mum, who's a specialist in the area straight away recognised it as eithera severeobsession,lacking a few key elements of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,or a mixture of other things that usually amounts to what we would refer to as 'brain washing'. Take your pick. It has nothing to do with the fact that Sakura's 'young'. No, the moment Sakura was willing to betray the leaf for Sasuke, it went beyond a simple crush. It became a severe obsession. Sakura had neither the skills or the 'street smarts' to survive as a ninja. Also, I personally detest both her and Sasuke. I really do hate them with a passion. An emo drama queen and his lap dog. What Naruto did he should have done the second he got the chance if he had been promoted to Chuunin in the first exam. If the 'love of your life' tells you to walk off a cliff with him or her for no reason, would you do it? Probably not. The effects from hitting the bottom would be the same as if they had both left the village, however, walking off the cliff would have ended it sooner than betraying the leaf. Anyways, enough rambling. I hope you get the point.

Ja ne,

Specula.


	7. Return of a Hero

**A/N:** Yo! Oh and btw, you should have seen this coming, but when Naruto gets back this chapter, he's somewhere between Sannin and Kage level without Kyuubi's chakra. Screaming 'OMG OVERPOWER'D'? I don't give a damn. Sarutobi was already Kage level at age 12, yet I don't see you screaming 'OMG NERF!' at him. Don't like that? Bugger off. It's my fic and I'll do with it as I wish. 'This is logical and believable to everyone... Except gay people.' – Joel Dawson. Also, this chapter is going to be like the first chapter. Lot's of close together time skips that are only about two weeks apart at most, because it's not really an important chapter, but it's still necessary. The Jounin Exam itself, however, will be full of detail. Once I complete this part of the story, which will be after the Jounin Exams _'Yup, that's right. This story's going to be a two or three parter. Once I finish this part of it, I'll go back to updating the other two as well as this one. So possibly one chapter for every story every 4 or 5 days.'_

You know something? There's only one Ichigo x Yoruichi fic on this site... For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Ichigo is the main character of Bleach and Yorichi is a semi main character. It has a grand total of 476 words... It makes me sad... I would write a fic, however, I do not know their personalities well enough yet to write one as convincingly as I can with a Naruto fic. Can someone write one please? Like, a good one? I'd wub you forever...

Also, it seems that 90 or more percent of all the people who are flaming me have favorite stories that are mostly from Harry Potter section and have written none of their own... Figures. Kiddies, go back to using your magic wands and wizards hats and stop ruining the rest of the site with your useless cries for attention in the form of trolling and flaming. If this is what I get from Harry Potter fans in the Naruto section, I'd **hate** to see what I got for a fic in the Harry Potter section itself... It's making me shudder at the thought... Perhaps they should make people who have not posted a 10k word story unable to review.

Oh, and in this, Gaara's father died from an unknown illness. Also, Akatsuki hasn't shown up yet to abduct Gaara. As a side note, the world of Naruto is a lot more technologically advanced than you think. They have mp3 players, TVs, Video Game Consoles and Laptops. Where am I getting all this from? The first three can all be seen in one of the closing songs for Naruto. It's called 'Speed' by Analog Fish. As for the laptop? I've seen some of the medical equipment in canon. That stuff's **way** more powerful than a laptop, however, I have seen an actual laptop during the fanon filler arc to the Star Village. If I wanted to, I could even bring trains, cars, blimps, and giant moving command centers into it. However, the last lot would ruin the story. So, don't cry out to me 'they didn't have those in Naruto!' Because they did. I refuse to belive that a poverty stricken village like the Star has access to technology that none of the five great nations do. No amount of logic or reasoning could explain that. So, from now on, Don't winge when you see one in there.

As a final note, it seems someone else has gained access to my account. For example, when I logged off last night, I had 15 or so people on my block list, and when I checked it this morning, I had well over 50. Unless the computer manages to add them by itself, someone is using my account without my knowledge. I could find out who, but doing so would mean I'd be charged with hacking Fan Fiction's database to find out who logged onto my account and when... So, until then, I can just change my PW often enough that you won't ge it again.

Comments/Suggestions/Questions:

**Fan Fiction Section:**

**Shadow of Archon:** Um... Naruto has never gone toe to toe with Itachi when he knew Hiraishin... The only time he faced him was when he was still learning it.

**maxhrk:** Sorry, but age has nothing to do with it. In my fic, as I stated, Naruto loathes traitors. Especially people who would betray their village for an obsession with a member of the opposite sex or some other such trivial reason. Also, I think both Kakashi and Naruto are the only two decent people on team seven.

**Failing Mentality:** Well, I actually use neither. I use Australian English. As far as I can tell, it's very very simmilar to British English, but there are some minor differences. As for the things Naruto does while away... I won't talk about them while he's away. I'll give little snippits of info, not the whole thing though. The whole Sasuke thing is kind of hard to describe atm. Since the Suna/Oto invasion never happened, Orochimaru never lost his arms. In my mind, Sasuke's soul is still in his own body while Orochimaru trains him to increase his chakra capacity to a decent level before taking over. I'm very tempted to let him do it too, just so Naruto gets to kill him. Read the debreifing of Naruto and Jiraiya to find out the answer to the Kyuubi chakra question. As for the 'prize', I'm not going to spoil it... I hope I did it in a beliveable fashion...

**En Statsu Koku Ryuu Ha:** Long enough name there? Anywho, I agree with you. It's definitely an obsession of some description. It's missing maybe one or two key elements that would be needed to identify it as OCD. As for contradicting yourself and wanting me to laugh at you for it... Nah, we all do things like that sometimes...

**Shinobi's Fire:** Hmmm... Look's **like** a turtle, huh? I always thought turtles had rather stumpy tails... Meh...

**Asmodeaus:** Time skip.

**mattdude2489:** Read the general A/N above to find out.

**Media Miner Section:**

Huzzah! It's fixed! I can now answer reviews without clearing out my cache!

**Darrel:** Yeah, sorry about that. Unfortunately, Meida Miner doesn't have an inbuilt text editor so I have to make the changes to the chapter and then reupload it which is a pain. I've fixed that problme you mentioned though. As for Body Flicker, there are two types of body flicker. The one which everyone can use, where they dissapear in a bgurst of speed, and then there's the modified versions, such as Gaara's Sand Warp, Kakashi's leaves, Yondiame's less flashy Hiraishin and Uchuha Shushi's personalised version.

**Katana Haibane:** Yo! I'm used to answering you in the other section... Well, if you want answers to the Orochimaru thing, look at Failing Mentality's reply in the section above.

**Lone Kyuubi:** Hmm, I seemed to have overlooked that... I'm definitely going to change it later... Thanks for that.

For those of you who didn't recive a personal answer, thanks for reviewing!

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Seven:

The Return of a Hero:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two & a Half Years Later:**

Naruto and Jiraiya were racing through the trees on the outskirts of Konoha. Naruto smirked at the Sannin.

"You're getting slow in your old age, Ero-Sennin."

Jiraiya grumbled. It wasn't that he was getting slow. Naruto had gotten faster. A hell of a lot faster.

"Watch it, brat. I may have let you call me that while we're travelling, but not once we get back."

Naruto smiled lazily at Jiraiya.

"Hai, hai..."

Naruto's personality hadn't changed much over the years, much to Jiraiya's suprise. He'd resisted every single attempt from the super pervert to turn him to the 'dark side', much to his dismay. Naruto still wore very simmilar clothes to when they had first left. Mask, black muscle shirt, long black pants and katana strapped to his back. The only changes to his apparel or weaponry was a pair of fingerless black gloves that had metal plates over the back of them and the scabbard for his katana had been replaced with a mirror copy of it, except that the scabbard was now yellow instead of white and the Kanji for 'white fang' had been changed to 'yellow fang'. As for Naruto's physical changes, his hair had grown longer. The pony tail now came down to the back of his knees as well as getting thicker from more hair being used for it. His body was now well and trully into puberty, allowing him to finally build some body mass. His body was not the overly rediculous one of a body builder who did nothing but concerntraite on building the size of his musles. It was that of someone who was used to arduous training, and said a lot more than a body builder's body would about their strength. He had also reached and surpassed the six foot mark in height. Last time he was measured, he was 6 foot 2 inches. The muscle shirt stuck tight to his skin, revealing his developed six pack and pectoral muscles. If you were to look at his eyes, it still held the lazy look, but if you had gotten to know him for a while, you could see a very stong undertone of confidence that can only be gained through engauging in countless battles and coming out the other end as the victor. Naruto smiled at the white haired Gama Sennin, waking him from his thoughts.

"I said, I'm going on ahead."

Jiraiya grumbled as Naruto pulled out a three pronged kunai and hurled it through the trees.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**South Gate:**

The guards on duty had long ago detected a Sannin level chakra signature and one that shocked them when they figured it was above the other. When they saw a kunai plant itself into into the ground in front of them, they were wary until they saw a flash of yellow light that appeared from the trees and landed next to the kunai. They ttied to make sense of the figure standing there, letting no hostility show, but rather extreme happiness to see them. Just after, a very worn out white haired old man jumped down beside Naruto who they recognised instantly.

"J... Jiraiya-Sama!"

Jiraiya looked up at them.

"Yeah, it's me."

The guards looked at Naruto.

"Then you must be..."

Naruto smiled.

"Yup, Naruto. Good to see you, Genma-San."

The senbon chewing Jounin cracked a smile.

"We've been waiting for you. Tsunade-Sama asked to see both of you as soon as you got back."

They nodded and walked through the gate. Naruto immediately felt a very familiar chakra signature to his left up on a roof. Naruto turned to see Kakashi reading one of the infamous little orange books. Naruto waved to him, and Kakashi raised a hand.

"Hey there, Otouto. You sure changed."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Only on the outside, Niisan. Oh, by the way, I got you a present to thank you for the sword."

Kakashi looked up as Naruto jumped up onto the roof and pulled something out of his pocket. Kakahsi froze when he saw it and began trembling.

"This... This is!"

Naruto smiled.

"Yup. Next in the series after four years. Icha Icha Tactics. Limited edition pre release copy signed by the king of perverts himself. Enjoy, Niisan."

Kakashi gingerly took it, hoping this wasn't some cruel Genjutsu Naruto was using. When he grabbed it, it felt resoundingly real. Kakashi was far too engrossed in this new found treasure to come along with Naruto. Naruto turned back to see that they had added a fifth face to the Hokage Monument.

"Hmm? They added Tsunade's face to it? Not suprising."

Naruto walked down the street, checking how his village was fairing after two and a half years of his absense. Like with every other town he had been to for the last year and a half, the girls immediately flocked to him, which made Jiraiya rather depressed. Naruto kept walking until he stopped when he felt a very familiar chakra source nearby.

"Hisashiburi dana... Kurenai-Chan..."

All the girls looked to the left seeing a woman in white wrappings with a red sleeve down one arm. The girls looked at the woman, waiting for her to answer to this hunk of a guy. Apparently, she was shocked enough to be unable to form complete coherrant sentences.

"Naruto?"

Naruto smiled and nodded as he turned and blushed slightly. Kurenai may have gotten older, but she was still as startlingly beautiful as when he had left. He walked up to her, keeping the lazy smile.

"What's wrong, Kurenai-Chan? It's only been two and a half years."

Kurenai blushed as she got a close up view of Naruto's startlingly well toned body. Naruto opened his eyes to notice her reaction.

"All girls seem to get that reaction around me recently, Kurenai-Chan. Don't worry, I've stuck to the 'bet'."

Kurenai nodded slowly. If it was just her and Naruto, she probably would have given him at least a hug, if not a kiss, however, the rather weak amount of killer intent coming from the girls was spoiling the mood. Naruto looked around in a clearly bored tone.

"Girls, I'd prefer it if you didn't be jeleous. I've known her for over ten years now."

The girls didn't get the point, so Naruto scowled and formed a set of one handed seals which cast a very convincing Genjutsu over himself and the girls which made them believe he had finished his coversation with Kurenai and had walked off. Not having the Genjutsu sense Naruto, Jiraiya or Kurenai had, the girls followed it without question until it was several blocks away when Naruto dispelled it, much to the girls dismay. Meanwhile, Naruto had turned back to Kurenai.

"Gomenasai, Kurenai-Chan..."

Kurenai shook her head dismissing it.

"No problem, Naruto."

Kurenai didn't have to lean down anymore to be face to face with Naruto. In fact, she had to look slightly up to look into his eyes. Naruto smiled as he envelopped her in a hug which she returned.

"I've missed you so much, Kurenai-Chan..."

"I missed you to Naruto."

Jiraiya just refrained from pulling out his notebook and writing this down as an opening scene to his newest book, however, the punishment Naruto had promised him if he did use his apprentice for any of his books was disturbing to say the least. It involved 24 hours locked in a room tied to a chair being 'serviced' by Anko. Jiraiya shuddered at the thought as he walked on ahead, leaving his apprentice with his crush.

Naruto broke the hug slowly as he smiled sheepishly at her. He'd thought of a million and one things to say to her when he got back, but now they all seemed innapropriate for the situation. Kurenai had to admit it. She was glad than Naruto hadn't given up on her as his crush. It was a selfish thought, but right now, she was just happy. Considering he was now 15, he was at the legal age of consent in Konoha. She shook the line of thought from her head as she became aware of the other two members of Team 8 coming up behind her. Naruto's head jolted up as he stepped around Kurenai to see Shikamaru and Chouji. They saw Naruto and no one said anything for a moment. However, Chouji smiled.

"Welcome home, Naruto."

Naruto smiled at Chouji.

"Long time no see, Chouji. Hey Shikamaru."

Shikamaru smiled and waved.

"Yo, Naruto."

Naruto looked at the physical changes in his friends appearances, starting with Chouji. Chouji was not the 'fatass' many people had called him in his younger days. Yes, he still had fat, but a lot of his size was due to muscle tone. His brown hair hnad grown into a long mane, much like his father's red mane. He also wore the Akimichi trademark body armour, which consisted of a chest plate, upper arm guards and thigh guards.

"Looking good, Chouji. Seems you've turned the 'padding' into body tone. The hair suits you too."

Chouji smiled as Naruto skirted carefully around the word fat.

"Not bad yourself, Naruto."

Naruto smiled lazily and turned to Shikamaru.

"You're looking more and more like your old man every day, Shikamaru. Good to see you've been working on your body as well as your mind."

Shikamaru smirked.

"It was troublesome, but I had to do it..."

Naruto sighed.

"I guess you guys would already be Jounin..."

Kurenai smiled.

"No. Both of them waited until you got back to enter the exams."

Naruto's head shot up and saw them both nod while smiling. Naruto smiled lazily at them.

"Thanks guys. It means a lot to me."

Chouji chuckled.

"We've done everything together up till now, and I want to keep it that way."

Naruto smiled and remembered that Genma had asked him to go see Tsunade straight away. Naruto sighed.

"I'd love to keep talking, but Tsunade wants me to report the second I got back."

Shikamaru sighed and put a hand behind his head.

"Medokusei..."

Kurenai smiled.

"We'll be at training ground 19, Naruto."

Naruto smiled as he promised he'd catch up as soon as he could before using Shushin no Jutsu to get to the office just before Jiraiya. The ANBU looked at them and knocked on the door.

"What is it? I have a mountain of paper work that needs doing."

"Tsunade-Sama, Jiraiya-Sama and Uzumaki Naruto are here."

There was a scrambling before quick shuffling steps were heard and the door flew open. Naruto smiled lazily. Same rediculous bust and no sign she'd aged a single day. Tsunade smiled at them.

"Welcome home, Naruto."

"Thanks."

Jiraiya was sulking. It felt like he was unimportant. Tsunade turned to Jiraiya.

"Did you turn him into a pervert?"

Jiraiya sweatdropped. He hadn't seen his former teammate for two and a half years, and the first thing she asked him 'did you turn him into a pervert?' Jiraiya sighed.

"No, but I tried..."

Tsunade glared at him before walking back into her office with the two of them following her. Jiraiya and Naruto had given Tsunade a full report on their time away, including learning from several masters. He'd throughly enjoyed his Kenjutsu training with the old man as well as his Fuuinjutsu training with an old woman. His Kenjutsu instructor had been shocked at the boy's ability to take the basic style taught to him and modify it to suit his own style. The basic style taught by the old man was simmilar to Academy Taijutsu. If you tried using it on an experienced opponent, they'd laugh and show you how it was really done. His Fuuinjutsu Sensei was startled at Naruto's ability to lap up her lessons. At the end of the report, Tsunade asked the question that would sum up Naruto's abilities.

"What level do you think Naruto's at?"

Jiraiya sighed.

"With or without Kyuubi chakra?"

"Without."

"Between Sannin and Kage level."

Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened in disbelif. Without Kyuubi chakra, Naruto was stronger than them?

"What about with it?"

Jiraiya sighed.

"You don't want to know..."

Tsunade contemplated this before she smiled.

"Well, lucky for you Naruto, the Jounin Exam trials are coming up in two weeks. I have no doubts your team will make it to the finals at least. Until the Jounin Exams, you're free to do what you want."

Naruto nodded and got up, bowing before leaving the room, leaving Jiraiya and Tsunade to talk about other things.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Not Long After:**

Naruto ran to his team's old training ground to see his teammates and Sensei talking about something when they saw Naruto come over and take a seat in the circle. Kurenai smiled at him.

"I was just telling them a bit about the Jounin Exams."

Naruto smiled lazily and listened in on the explination.

"Basically, all of the countries are allowed to compete in the Jounin Exam, reguardless of alliances. Each country performs an assessment of their teams to see which ones will be allowed to go. There are only two parts to the Jounin Exams. They are always a field mission and a team tournament. The field mission is always one month in length. The rules are very similar to what happened in the Chuunin Exam's second test. The Finals will be team matches of three on three. There are usually no rules in this, save from if you continue the fight after it's called, you will be disqualified."

They nodded and kept talking about things in general, such as past Jounin Exams. After quite some time, Chouji and Shikamaru got up to leave.

"Our dads are getting together for a meal, and we're invited. Catch you round Naruto."

Naruto nodded and smiled as they walked off, leaving Naruto with Kurenai. Kurenai smiled at Naruto.

"Do you remember our bet?"

Naruto nodded.

"I won't forget that anytime soon..."

Naruto turned to see Kurenai smiling at him with a glint of mischief in her eye.

"So, did he succeed?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, but I'll give him credit for persistance."

Kurneai chuckled at the joke before she moved closer to Naruto.

"Did you know what the 'prize' I had in mind was?"

Naruto shook his head but stopped when Kurenai pulled down his mask and kissed him on the lips. Naruto had expected this as one of the possible 'prizes', however, he had not expected her to put her tongue into his mouth as well and place one hand on the back of his head and the other around his waist. Naruto stiffened momentarily before responding with his own tongue and he put his arms around her unconciously in a very protective manner that clearly stated to others 'hands off'. The kiss lasted several minutes before Kurenai pulled back breathing a little deeper than Naruto was. Naruto hugged Kurenai and the two of them stayed in that position for quite some time, just enjoying each other's embrace.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Naruto had woekn up at a decent time, had a quick breakfast and left to go greet his other friends, which had been strangly absent yesterday. The first team he sought out was Team Gai. When he came to their training area, he saw them just finishing up a training session. Naruto raised a hand in greeting as he came over to them.

"Yo."

Lee spun around and his eyes lit up with a rather unhealthy amount of the 'flames of youth'.

"YOSH! IT'S NARUTO-KUN! TELL US OF YOUR MANY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS YOU ENCOUNTERED WHILE YOU WERE AWAY!"

Naruto looked up from his musing on whether Lee had reached the second stage of the 'green spandex' disease and looked at Lee, who expecting an answer.

"What was that sorry?"

Neji and Tenten face faulted, while both Gai and Lee harped on about 'hip attitudes'. Neji seemed to recover first.

"How did you not hear that, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at the sky as he thought about it before smiling lazily.

"I was wondering if the personality copy from Gai-Sensei to Lee had completed yet and then I saw him expecting an answer so I asked him what he had asked me."

The whole of Team Gai sweat dropped. Both Tenten and Neji had to admit, that was an excellent way of tuning them out. They really needed to have 'training' sessions on how to do that... Naruto saw Tenten marveling his blade and he smiled, pulling the blade out and handing it to Tenten, who looked over the blade with a critical eye.

"This has to be one of the finest blade's I've seen in a long time... The blade has been folded the perfect number of times for it's composite materials and size. It's light weight and strong. Naruto, where did you get this?"

Naruto smiled lazily at her questioning glance.

"Aniki gave it to me before left. It's old name was White Fang."

Tenten's eyes shot open as did Gai's. Tenten smirked.

"No wonder it's so good. I thought I recognised my father's work when I saw it. This was his masterpiece. You're very lucky to have it."

Naruto smiled.

"Yup. Say, Tenten, can I have a proper Kenjutsu spar against you? No Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or Taijutsu. Don't hold back either."

Tenten's eyes narrowed but she smirked.

"Sure thing."

Tenten pulled out a scroll and produced a katana that was slightly shorter than Naruto's. Gai was refereeing the match and told them to take their places. Once they were both ready, they drew their swords and Tenten charged. Naruto brought his blade up to block with one hand on the hilt. Tenten's attack had been nothing more than a test of Naruto's blocking ability and strength. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"I asked you not to take it lightly."

Tenten jumped back. Naruto was obviously a hell of a lot more skilled with his Katana than when he had left. If Tenten didn't know any better, it looked like a long forgotten style of Kenjutsu that was the predecessor of two current styles that sprang up from it. The Hayate's Mikazuki Style and the Hana no Mai Style. Both styles relied of 'dances' of Kenjutsu that were extemely hard to master and rather powerful when they were. The predecessor had elements of both styles infused into it and was supposed to have been lost at least 60 years ago. Tenten's eyes narrowed.

"Where did you learn that Kenjutsu style?"

Naruto smiled.

"Class S secret."

Tenten smiled at this.

"Well, let's see how good you are at it."

Tenten charged with her own family style of Kenjutsu and the two clashed blades. Naruto could see Tenten was serious so he spun around and clashed the blade with hers again. The two jumped apart and Naruto could feel Tenten channeling chakra into her sword for a Kenjutsu. Naruto closed his eyes and began the style's first dance.

"Hitotsu no Mai-"

This caught everyone's attention, especially from the amount of chakra coming off the blade in very gas like waves.

"Nami no Mai!"

Naruto brought his sword down and unleashed an arc of chakra from the sword that resembled a wave. Naruto slashed the sword sideways and released a horizontal wave of the chakra. This was done in the space of under a second and Tenten jumped to avoid the double attack and looked behind her as they carved through everything in their paths. After they had dissapeared from visual range, the chakra became too unstable to hold it's form and they exploded, clearing a 20 meter wide area of forest. Tenten turned back to Naruto who brought his sword up into a ready position that could easily shift to a defensive or offensive stance.

"That was the first dance?"

Naruto nodded.

"How many are there?"

Naruto thought about it.

"Officially, 10. I have created another two that I alone can use."

Tenten's eyes widened. He'd improved a Kenjutsu style that had been around for thousands of years and then lost, picked it up and just **added** two extra dances that he alone could use?

"What do you mean, two that only you can use?"

Naruto smiled.

"Are you a Jounin yet?"

Tenten nodded. Both her teammates and herself had become Jounins in the last Jounin Exam. Naruto turned to Gai.

"She is correct. My team has become Jounins as of last year."

Naruto nodded and turned back to Tenten.

"How much do you know about the Kyuubi?"

This struck everyone except Gai as a completely off topic question, however, Naruto never asked pointless questions.

"Yondaime killed it over fifteen years ago."

Naruto shook his head.

"Yondaime may have been the greatest man to ever live, but his power was not even a contest for the lord of demons. No mortal ever has or ever will be able to go toe to toe against a demon lord and live, let alone win."

"Then what happened to the Kyuubi?"

"Yondaime wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't win with his current powers and allies, so he called on the only being more powerful than Kyuubi to help him. Shinigami."

Everyone's eyes widened at this.

"However, a mortal calling Shinigami from hell is no trivial matter. For payment for his services, Shinigami requires two live souls. The soul of the user and the soul of the target. Essentially, the Kyuubi and Yondaime died in a pysical sesne, however, the Kyuubi's soul was ripped from his body and sealed inside an newborn infant, the only thing that would be able to hold the vast amounts of demonic chakra without breaking immediately. The Yondaime's soul held the Kyuubi at bay and will do so until the child dies. Take a guess who that child was."

Neji's eyes widened as realisation struck him.

"Naruto! It was-"

"Yeah. It was me."

The three newly appointed Jounin's eyes widened considerably. Gai nodded in agreement.

"The correct term for a person like Naruto is a Jinchuriki. They are able to wield unfathomable power. However, as far as I can tell, Naruto prefers not to use that power and rely on his own unless the situation calls for it. A very noble action."

Tenten turned back to Naruto.

"I know I can trust you guys not to go telling this to every man, woman and child. This secret is mine and mine alone to tell."

All three of them nodded, however, Neji remembered something.

"Naruto... That S class secret you refered to in the Chuunin Exams..."

"Yeah, this is that secret."

They nodded. No wonder it was an S class secret. Naruto looked at them individually.

"Do you think any less of me for it?"

Lee was the first to answer.

"YOSH! Naruto-Kun proves his 'flames of youth' burn far more brightly that the Kyuubi's! Gai-Sensei! We should run 500 laps around Konoha on our hands!"

Naruto sweatdropped and turned back to Tenten.

"He's more like Gai than I thought..."

"No kidding..."

Naruto shook his head and turned to Neji.

"Naruto, I never have and never will think any less of you. You taught me that a person's reputation and affiliation means nothing."

Naruto nodded as he turned back to Tenten, and saw she was smiling.

"I won't think less of you if you teach me that style."

Naruto, Gai, Neji and Lee sweatdropped until Tenten burst out laughing.

"I'm joking. You've always been a good guy and you still are now. I still want to learn that style, though."

Naruto laughed nervously.

"We'll see."

Tenten smirked and reengaged in combat. Both of them clashed swords until Naruto found an opening and thrust his katana to within an inch of Tenten's middrif, right where the kidney was. Tenten saw this and her eyes widened before she looked back up at Naruto to see him smiling.

"I haven't had a decent Kenjutsu match like that in over a year. Thank you, Tenten."

Tenten nodded as Naruto withdrew his sword and bowed, which Tenten returned. Naruto followed all four of the Jounins to a restraunt for lunch before excusing himself, paying for his meal and taking a quick shower before going to find Team Ten.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Not Too Long After:**

Naruto stepped out of his appartment and went to look for the three members of Team Ten. He was walking down a little used street when he spotted somone who had a rather shady, yet somewhat familliar look to him. Naruto stopped and saw immediately who it was.

"Shino?"

Shino nodded.

"Hisashiburi dana, Naruto."

"Yeah, it has been a while. How have you been?"

"Well enough. Yourself?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Great. Where's Kiba and Hinata?"

Shino looked up, the midday sun reflecting off his glasses.

"They will be here shortly."

Not five seconds later, Naruto heard a thump behind him and turned to see Kiba on one **very** large dog that could only be Akamaru. Kiba saw Naruto and grinned.

"Naruto! I was sure it was you!"

Naruto smiled as he shook Kiba's hand.

"You're looking 'ruggishly hansome' these days."

Kiba smiled baring his fangs.

"Wouldn't you know it. The girls are all over me."

Naruto smiled as he heard Shino talk from behind him.

"This is true. They will not leave us alone even when we train. It is rather... Annoying."

Naruto smiled and he walked up to Akamaru and pulled out the carry bag he was given from his left over lunch and gave a couple of pieces of the beef to Akamaru who gladly ate them and barked happily at Naruto who gave him a scratch behind the ears. Naruto resealed the plastic container and wrapped it back up when he saw another person walking up to them. Naruto recognised it immediately as a Hyuuga because of the dark hair and pupiless lavender eyes. However, Naruto did not recognise this one. It was female, but he'd never seen this Hyuuga before, considering she was the same age. However, when she stepped out of the shade and into the sunlight, Naruto saw the hair was not pitch black, but navy blue. There was only one Hyuuga with that hair colour he knew.

"Hey, Hinata."

Hinata looked up and smiled at Naruto.

"Okaeri, Naruto-Kun."

"Arigato, Hinata."

Naruto noticed that Hinata was no longer passing out and whatnot near him like the old days, so he smiled at her.

"You're not fainting around me anymore Hinata."

Hinata blushed and smiled.

"I found someone else I like..."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Oh? Who would that be?"

Hinata walked up to Shino and grabbed his arm, which he did not resist. Naruto's mind worked for a few moments before he smiled.

"Good for you. I'm happy for you. However, I would **never** have expected it to be you, Shino. Still, congratulations."

Hinata smiled.

"Arigato, Naruto-Kun."

Shino nodded his answer and they waited for their Sensei. Asuma came up and noticed a new adition to the group. The new adition spoke to him with his back towards him.

"Those cancer sticks will be the death of you, Asuma-Sensei."

Asuma's eyes widened as the boy turned around and he saw Naruto. He smiled.

"Good to see you too. How've you been, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled in that irritating fashion he had picked up from his adoptive brother many years ago.

"Great."

Asuma nodded and they sat down to chat until late afternoon. After they had caught up, Naruto stood up, waving to them as he headed home.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Weeks Later:**

The day after Naruto had visited Team Gai and Team 10, Naruto had spent the last two weeks until the initial testing for the Jounin Exam getting back into the swing of things with his team. They quickly settled into an old routine and began assessing each other's new jutsus, which in Naruto's case, was quite extensive. On the day of the initial test, Kurenai brought her team at around midday to the examiners along with several other teams of Chuunin and their Senseis. They were apparently assessing skills. When it was Team 8's turn, Naruto stepped up. The examiner looked up from his clipboard, clearly not enjoying this.

"Name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

That caught practically everyone's attention in the room. The examiner nodded, now more interested.

"Teammates names?"

"Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru."

The man scribbled this down.

"Team type?"

"First Response Team."

The man nodded. First Response Teams were usually a team that covered most types of fighting and were able to get to a problem spot and with no previous info on the opponents, hold down the fort before backup arrived. Not an easy choice. The man wrote this down and looked back up.

"Any team jutsu specialties?"

Naruto thought for a moment.

"Bloodline Jutsus."

The man nodded and wrote that down.

"That's all I need."

Naruto nodded and led his team over to the side of the room where the other teams were waiting while Kurenai walked over to the other side of the room where the Jounin Senseis waited. After they had finished, they were taken one team at a time into a small training field where a Jounin was standing. When Team 8 stepped up, the man nodded at them.

"Team 8?"

Naruto nodded. The man stood up.

"This fight will be one on one with pure Ninjutsu. Who do you want to select to repersent you?"

Naruto smiled.

"I will."

The man nodded and got into a stance.

"Go when ready."

Naruto closed his eyes as the man announced his jutsu.

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

Naruto whispered his jutsu just before the fireball reached him.

"Doton: Dochu Eigyo no Jutsu..."

To the opponent, it seemed like he had burnt Naruto into nothingness until he felt a hand grab onto his ankle.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!"

Naruto replaced himself with the Jounin who was rather bewildered at the fact that he was burried underground with only his head sticking out and a Chuunin in front of him giving him a lazy smile.

"Can't move, right?"

The Jounin nodded dumbly.

"Anything else we have to do here?"

"Nothing for now. You will be called later for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu testing."

Naruto nodded and stood up taking his two teammates with him. The Jounin looked back at him.

"Hey, aren't you going to get me out?"

Naruto smiled at him.

"You're a Jounin, do it yourself."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

Naruto smiled as they left the training area and one **very** annoyed Jounin. When they were called next, they were asked to perform a Genjutsu besides Henge. Naruto looked at Shikamaru who nodded and formed three hand seals before announcing his jutsu.

"Magen: Jigoku Kouka no Jutsu!"

Naruto smiled as the area was bathed in red light and the Jounin practitioner looked up to see, as the jutsu name suggested, a rather large ball of hell fire decending upon him. He tried to dispell it, but found he was unable to. Shikamaru looked at him in his regular disinterested tone.

"Despelling regular Genjutsu might work, however, Demonic Illusion types of Genjutsu can only be dispelled by Genjutsu specialists."

Shikamaru released the last seal and the fire died down, leaving the area untouched. The Jounin nodded.

"Pass. Go and wait for Taijutsu test."

They nodded and left, waiting for the Taijutsu test. When they were called out, the Jounin looked at Chouji.

"You're the only one who hasn't been tested on your team yet. Go when ready."

Chouji nodded and charged with speed that someone of his size shouldn't be capable of. The Jounin's eyes widened from behind his glasses and went to block Chouji's attack. However, blocking is something that should be avoided when fighting an Akimichi. Chouji put a massive amount of power behind the punch and slammed the Jounin into the far wall. He fell to his hands and knees before getting slowly back up, coughing and patting the dust off his clothes.

"You guys are fine. Go and wait for the results."

They nodded and left the testing field and awaited the results. After an hour, the examiners came back in. The head examiner looked up from his clip board.

"We have the results. The following team has passed-"

Only one team passed? People began murmuring amongst themselves as to who the team could be when the examiner announced it.

"Team 8. Would said team please report to the Hokage's office tomorrow morning at 8 am. Thank you."

Naruto smirked as he got up and led his team to their Jounin Sensei and together, the four of them walked out of the room, acutely aware of the stares they were getting. When they got outside, they saw it was early evening. Both Chouji and Shikamaru split off to walk to the clan section of Konoha, leaving Naruto and Kurenai to walk to their perspective apartments, which were in the same direction. Kurenai's appartment was close than Naruto's, so they stopped outside her appartment complex. Kurenai turned to Naruto and smiled at him, which he returned.

"Naruto, how do you think the team will do in the Jounin Exams?"

Naruto smiled lazily at her.

"I don't know. Like the Chuunin Exams, we could get to the finals, and then run into another Jinchuriki..."

Kurenai nodded. That wasn't exactly a pleasing thought. Naruto hugged her when he saw the worried look on her face.

"Kurenai-Chan, don't worry about me. Even if the Hachibi's container was there, I'd have more power than he would."

Kurneai sighed.

"At the cost of your life, yes. Naruto, promise me you won't go past the third tail..."

Naruto nodded. The one time he had gotten to the fourth tail, he had almost killed himself, let alone his Sensei.

"I promise."

Naruto pulled back and Kurenai fished the key out of her pocket and opened the door. Naruto looked at her, smiling lazily.

"Good night, Kurenai-Chan..."

"Good night, Naru-Chan..."

Kurenai walked up the stairs and Naruto turned and kept walking a bit further down the street to his apartment block. He opened the door and climed the stairs before unlocking his appartment door. He found Kakashi there, reading his new Icha Icha Tactics. Kakashi smiled at him.

"Yo! I heard your team was the only one to pass the Jounin selections. Good job."

Naruto smiled back at him.

"Thanks. I'll make dinner tonight."

Kakashi nodded and went back to his book while Naruto wandered into the kitchen to see what they had. He eventually settled for some frozen fish fillets and vegitables. Once he'd made them, he brought the two plates to the dinner table and Kakashi joined him. Naruto was always kind of sad that meals he might spend hours cooking were consumed in under 5 seconds, but he was used to it. After dinner, Naruto took a shower and prepared for an early night.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Hokage Tower, 8 am:**

Team 8 met at the Hokage Tower just before 8 am and their Sensei appeared a few moments later. All four of them walked inside and the ANBU guarding the door let them in to see Tsunade asleep with her head on the desk snooring. All three Chuunin and one Jounin sweatdropped when Naruto decided it would be a good idea to wake her up. He walked over to her and poked her.

"Tsunade..."

Tsunade made no indication she'd noticed it, so Naruto prodded her.

"Tsunade..."

Tsunade did nothing so he got down next to her ear and smiled misciviously.

"There's a half price sale on at the local liquer shop for sake for the next five minutes."

That got the desired reaction as Tsunade shot up, instantly alert.

"Half priced sake? Where?"

Naruto sighed.

"No where, Tsunade."

Tsunade looked at Naruto angrily before she realised she had company. Kurenai's eye was twitching.

"You're not setting a very good example, Tsunade-Sama..."

Tsunade sighed and regained her composure.

"Sorry about that. Work has been piling up. Coupled with the fact I'm required to do hospital rounds every day is taking it's toll."

Tsuande interlaced her fingers in front of her mouth.

"Congratulations on passing the preliminaries. This year, the Jounin Exams are being held in Suna. The examinees will begin leaving their villages within the next two to three days, and that includes you too. You will leave here for Suna in two days time. Are there any questions?"

No one spoke up so Tsunade dismissed them.

"Here are your passports. Send my reguards to Kazekage-Dono."

Kurenai nodded.

"Will do Tsunade-Sama."

The four of them left the office and walked out of the tower. Kurenai told them to prepare for a several month long trip and meet at the South Gate at 7 am in two days time. They nodded and split up to start preparing.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Days Later, 7 am:**

Team 8 assembled at the South Gate and headed out towards Suna, racing through the forest which eventually gave way to shurbs and then sand dunes. Team 8 picked up the speed and raced over the dunes until they spotted the alcove that Suna was located in. The guards seemed to be fairly busy with other people trying to get into the village, but they noticed the four figures approaching them at high speeds. They readied themselves in case of an attack, but softened up when they noticed all four of them wore Konoha Hitai-ates. Konoha was a staunch ally of Suna. When they got to the gate the Suna guard nodded at them and smiled.

"If I was allowed to, I'd let you straight in. But for security reasons, I need your names and reasons for visiting."

Kurenai nodded.

"I am Yuuhi Kurenai, Jounin of Konoha. I am here with my team which is composed of Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji who are here to partake in the Jounin Exams."

The guard nodded once they showed him their passes and waved them through. Naruto saw a lot of other Chuunin teams from every country that could afford to send them milling around, sizing each other up. Naruto was walking passed a team from Kumo when Naruto and the obvious leader from the Kumo team drew side by side and both stopped. Each boy sensed something distubingly familiar about the other and they turned to look at the other. Naruto saw the Kumo captain wore a black long sleaved shirt with dragons interwining around a katana on the chest. He wore black pants that had a white lightning bolt down the sides. The most interesting thing Naruto saw that the Kumo captain had was a katana strapped to his back with the Kanji for 'Dragon of the Clouds' on the scabbard. The Kumo captain's eyes furrowed.

"I feel like I've met you somewhere before..."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Same here... Uzumaki Naruto. You are?"

"Unryu Itachi. I look forward to seeing you in the exams, Naruto-San."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"As do I, Itachi-San."

They both went their separate ways with there teams. Once the Kumo team were out of earshot Shikamaru looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, where have you seen him before?"

Naruto frowned.

"That's what I want to know. I would have remembered someone's face I met that was that powerful, but I don't remember him..."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

Kurenai really didn't like the look of that Kumo Taichou. He had an air of confidence around him similar to Naruto. The type that could only be gained from years of experience. Kurenai shook it off as they stopped to get something to eat at a restraunt. When they walked in, they were surprised to see three people Naruto hadn't seen in years. Naruto smiled and waved at the former Team Suna of their Chuunin Exams.

"Haven't seen you three in a while."

The three in question turned to see Naruto, Chouji, Shikamaru and Kurenai walk in. Temari blushed when she saw Naruto while Kankuro waved.

"Hey Naruto. How've you been?"

"Great thanks, Kankuro. Yourself?"

"Can't complain."

Naruto smiled at Temari.

"Good to see you, Temari."

"Likewise, Naruto."

Naruto turned to the last of the three.

"How are you holding up, Gaara?"

Gaara nodded.

"Well enough, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto smiled.

"Naruto's fine, Gaara. No need to be so informal."

Gaara nodded.

"Mind if we sit with you?"

The three smiled, or in Gaara's case, nodded so Team 8 took their seats and waited for someone to take their orders. A waitress came up and took their orders before turning to Gaara and his siblings.

"Kazekage-Sama, Temari-San, Kankuro-San, would you like anything else?"

"Could I get some shavings of roast lamb with the green salad please?"

Both Temari and Kankuro placed their orders and the waitress left. Naruto smiled at Gaara.

"So you're Kazekage now, Gaara? Congratulations."

Gaara closed his eyes.

"Thank you."

The conversation was mainly about what everyone had been doing in the past two and a half years. The waitress came back with the tray of food and they began eating. Naruto eventually decided to broach a rather hazerdous subject.

"Gaara, are you still unable to sleep?"

Gaara nodded. Naruto's brows furrowed.

"Can you tell me what type of seal holds him in?"

Gaara thought for a moment before answering.

"I believe it is called a four element seal."

Naruto nodded.

"Single or double?"

Gaara did not understand, which he indicated by tilting him head to the side.

"Single or double?"

"Single or double four element seal?"

Gaara's face went blank for a moment.

"I am not certain..."

Naruto nodded.

"If you want me to have a look at the seal later, I may be able to do something about it."

The three Suna siblings' eyes widened. Temari spoke for them.

"Do you have skills with seals?"

Naruto nodded as he smiled.

"Yeah. However, we can do that later. Right now, we need to find a place to stay."

Gaara would have extended a welcome to the Konoha nins to stay in his own house, however, the host country for Jounin Exams was not allowed to show any favoritism towards any nation, even it's own. The Konoha nins paid for their section of the meal and said goodbye to the three Suna nins before they went to find some sort of rental appartment. Naruto pointed out a particularly up market one. The others sweatdropped.

"Naruto, we don't have the kind of cash for this place..."

Naruto pulled out his bank book. Due to the constant A and S rank missions that he had undertaken with just him and Jiraiya, his bank account had swollen considerably. Most of the time they spent out of the Fire Country as well as it's ally countries, meaning they had no access to Naruto's bank account. Naruto walked inside and his team begrudgingly followed behind him. Naruto went up to the front desk and smiled at a woman who smiled politely back at him.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

"I need a two bedroom room place for about two to three months. Myself and my team are partaking in the Jounin Exam, so I can't give a definate time."

The woman nodded.

"For a two bedroom appartment, it's 120000 Ryou a month."

Naruto opened his bankbook and wrote a check out before handing it to the lady. The lady checked it against the computer records to find it all worked out.

"Thank you. Your appartment number is 359. Here is your key. Please enjoy your stay."

Naruto nodded, took the key and walked towards the stairs when he felt his teammates were not behind him. He turned around and looked at them.

"Is something wrong?"

Kurenai's eyes widened.

"Yes something is wrong. Naruto-"

"How could I afford this? Let's go up to my room and I'll show you."

They followed him up the stairs to the third level and quickly found their room. Naruto opened the door and let them in. Once they were in and the door shut, Naruto took a seat and motioned them to sit down, which they did.

"Kurenai-Chan, what's the average pay per person for a four man platoon to complete a regular S rank mission?"

"About 25000 Ryou..."

Naruto nodded.

"So if two people did an S rank mission, they would have 50000 each. Now, if you did A and S rank missions at a rate of one every one or two weeks between two people for two and a half years with no way of spending the money, how much would you get at the end of the two and a half years?"

Kurenai saw what he was hinting at, as did Naruto's other two teammates. Chouji whistled.

"You've got a lot of cash, Naruto..."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei..."

Kurenai still wasn't happy about it.

"Naruto, we can't just use your money to get us an appartment like this."

Naruto smiled at her as he handed her his bankbook. Kurenai's eyes widened. He had even more money than she had! A **hell** of a lot more. The fee for the appartment had barely scratched the surface of his savings. Kurenai handed the bankbook back to him and Naruto put it back in his bag. Naruto looked at their appartment. It had two bedrooms, a single bathroom, a living room that was also the kitchen and dining room in one. Both bedrooms led onto individual balconies that faced the same direction. Naruto got up and looked at Kurenai.

"Which room do you want, Kurenai-Chan?"

Kurenai's eyes widened before picking the room closest to the back of the appartment.

"I'll have the back one."

Naruto nodded and opened the door to the other room, which all three boys were apparently going to share for the next few nights.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Hmmm, this chapter isn't really that good at the moment... As I said, this chapter was going to be boring but necessary. I'll fix it up when I finish it, which will be in a few more chapters.

Ja na,

Specula.


	8. Jounin Exams, First Test

**A/N:** Hazzah! I now have a working spell checker! _'Burns old word processor'_ I don't know why it didn't work, but it even stopped others who were trying to be my Beta from spell checking. I'll never use Open Office again…

Also, my monitor died… Can't complain really. I got to use a 30 inch TV with stereo speakers for my new temporary monitor! Yay!

From what I've been able to work out, psychotic Jinchurikis are in the vast minority. Naruto's not psychotic, neither was Yugito. It seems that Gaara was the only psychotic one due to the fact that Shukaku made him unable to sleep. Also, it seems that Jinchurikis tend to be the sons/daughters of the Yondaime Kage of their village. Gaara was the son of Yondaime Kazekage and Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage. _'We all know he is, don't deny it.'_ So I'm going to be following this 'tradition' with the Kumo Taichou, Itachi.

Also, according to Kakashi Gaiden, Kage Bunshin is **not** exclusive to Konoha. One of the Iwa Nins used it when Kakashi first revealed the Chidori. Therefore, I will use it accordingly.

Also, Naruto's going to be using his Wind affinity in a new way this chapter. He does a less extreme version of it in the manga, well, at least next chapter he will, with his bare hand, so with a katana, this should be no problem.

Have you guys seen the music video for the 10th closing theme of Naruto? Analog Fish's Speed? It's quite funny. Especially the main singer's facial expression. I can see why they called the band Analog Fish.

BTW, just because I said that all but one person who's flamed me so far has written no fics of their own and have pretty much only HP fics in their favourites does not in any way mean I'm bagging out Harry Potter or the people who do write HP fanfics, I'm bagging out it's fans, or at least the ones who think they know how fics should be written according to them, yet don't even write one themselves and just settle for saying something that pretty much waters down to 'ur fic sux, and so do u'.

All I see, no matter which fiction site I go to is 'NaruxSasu'. It's getting boring. Are the majority of people in the world either homosexual or have homosexual intentions? It makes me want to cry... Is it a crime to ask for a good completely hetro fic these days? I swear, Yaoi fan girls think its 'hot' for two guys to do it. I'd like to see what they think of it after they're subjected to it... Do I have a problem with homosexuals? No, no I don't. Do I have a problem with people portraying every single male in any given anime as gay by people who have no idea of how painful it would be? Yes, yes I do. Homosexuals are fine, but not if 90 percent of men are gay. Then again, I guess that means I get all the girls for myself if they are... Hehehehehehe.

Comments/Suggestions/Questions:

**Silverscale:** Ya, there's going to be a lemon. The lemon will not be in this part of the series, though. It will be in the next part, however. I'll place it on Media Miner when I get to it, just like my 'Living Behind a Mask' lemon.

**Failing Mentality:** Well, I went with the assumption that half of the missions were A rank and half were S, done at the rate of one a week. By the end of the two and a half years, Naruto would have had 4, 875, 000 Ryou. Computer calculator ftw. Shika's not a Genjutsu specialist, but he can use some high level ones. As for Chouji, yeah, he's learnt a lot of Nin and Genjutsu to help him. The Kumo captain is a Jinchuriki, yes. Hachimata's container? No. Look at his first name for a hint… Kumo has only one as far as we know, but that's not a definite. I think the Kumo Taichou's tenant would be well suited to the Cloud. Trust me; Naruto's been developing coordinated elemental jutsus. Wait until you see what he does next chapter.

**Del'Cera Osirin:** That's because I didn't have a spell checker and everyone who tried to be my Beta-Tester never found anything wrong with any chapters.

**Ichigo no Bankai:** Read Silverscale's reply. It answered this exact question. I'm just too lazy to type it out again…

**-Naruto-Kyuubi-:** No, I actually write the chapters from scratch.

**Silver-Foxie:** I didn't answer it publicly, no. However, I am turning this story into a series. First part will be up till the end of the Jounin Exams. Second Part will go from there till when they have children. Third part, if I decide to do it, will focus on their children's lives up till the Chuunin Exams.

**Maikeru Kitsune:** I never said that Harry Potter or fanfics of Harry Potter sucked; I said that the HP fans that spread their corruption in the form of stupid flames sucked.

**ShenobiKageKitsune:** Is your caps button permanently stuck down? I will see your review; you don't have to use all caps every time…

**Ecchi-Baka-Kon:** No, the White Fang after Karachi Gaiden wasn't a sword of any description. It was broken by the Iwa Nin. Therefore, I could have had it reforged into a katana.

**rantingmonkey:** I've left a review for your fic. Read the first paragraph of the A/N this chapter to see why I had so many SPs.

**Itallia:** Actually, they said in that scene: 'From this day forth, you will be Hokage.'

**RagefulLlama:** Thanks for the review. Check top A/N this chapter for the reason for the spelling. I've also edited some of the harsher A/N from previous chapters.

**Naruto-Rawks:** Did you read the paragraph directly after that line in chapter 6? It explained what it was, and even then, in the A/N at the bottom it translated it. As for Mendokusei… That's disturbing. It's Shikamaru's catch phrase, 'troublesome'. Okaeri is a lesser used one which I should have put into an A/N somewhere; it means 'welcome home'. Hisashiburi dana, I already put into an A/N the chapter after I first used it. It means 'It's been a while _'Insert person's name here' _'.

**Dragon Sword Master:** Hmmm… There was another IchigoxYoruichi fic? I'll have to read it. Anyways, the explanation for my spelling is in the first paragraph of A/N this chapter. Now, as for Tsunade's phobia of blood. When I called off the Suna/Oto invasion, I had put a huge number of obstacles in front of me. The Ororchimaru's soul problem, The Sannin fight, Ororchimaru using Sasuke for a container early, and Tsunade's phobia. It took me a hell of a long time to work out all of them except the last. That one, I couldn't find a way of fixing without rewriting a fair chunk of the story. I'm going with the assumption that Tsunade once she got back to the Hospital quickly got over her phobia. Lame, but I can't find another way. Naruto's going to be showing off a lot more jutsus in this exam. Showing off 1000 jutsus would be kinda hard, though…

**imaduck:** Yeah, I saw that. However, I've always been under the impression that a turtle has a short, stubby tail… I remember editing that particular A/N, but not what I changed it to, though.

**Darkwick:** Oh, I do so love to 'bash' Sakura and Sasuke. The thing is though, that's how Sasuke was in the manga/anime until Tsunade healed him. They just didn't use the word 'vegetable'. As for your surgery, I hope you get better.

Thanks to everyone else who left a review!

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Eight:

Jounin Exams: Part 1:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, 8 am:**

Naruto groggily opened his eyes to see sunlight streaming in through the window and onto his face. As quietly as he could, Naruto got up and still in his sleeping gear went to fix himself some breakfast. Kurenai was having pretty much the same thought. Naruto opened his door quietly and slipped out, shutting it behind him and making his way to the kitchen only to see Kurenai there in a baggy t-shirt and shorts preparing some sort of breakfast from the few things that were provided when they rented the apartment. Unlike her usual attire, this shirt pronounced her chest a lot more. She smiled at Naruto who blushed heavily.

"Ohaiyo, Naru-Chan."

"Ohaiyo, Kurenai-Chan."

He came into the kitchen and started making his own meal. Naruto went to the fridge to find bacon and eggs. He pulled them out and began searching for a frypan. Once he had found it, he turned the stove on, spraying some oil into it and waited for it to heat up. Once it had, he chucked the bacon in and it sizzled, hissed and popped. The delicious smell of cooking fat wafted through the house. When it finally reached the boy's room, Chouji's nose twitched before he shot up, out the door and into the kitchen to see Naruto cooking bacon and eggs. Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

"Morning, Chouji."

"Morning, Naruto."

Naruto could see Chouji eyeing the bacon quite intently. Naruto smiled and held up the rest of the bacon.

"Plenty for you and Shikamaru, Chouji."

Chouji nodded and watched as Naruto cracked three eggs into the pan and waited for them to cook. Once they were done, Naruto pulled out a plate and loaded the bacon and eggs onto it before pulling out a knife and fork and putting them on the table with the food. Naruto smiled at Chouji.

"You can have that one."

Chouji smiled warmly at Naruto.

"Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto waved it off just as Shikamaru came in wearing his normal ninja attire and yawned widely.

"Chouji, did you have to make such a troublesome amount of noise?"

Chouji looked up from his breakfast and smiled sheepishly.

"Heh, sorry about that, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru said nothing as he went into the kitchen and looked for something to eat, settling for several pieces of fruit and some toast to start the day. Naruto had already begun frying the next lot of bacon and had just put in the eggs when Shikamaru and Chouji finished their breakfast and put the plates in the sink to wash up later. Both of them went back to their room leaving Naruto and Kurenai to finish making their breakfasts and sit down to eat together. Naruto sat next to Kurenai and they ate in silence. That is, until Kurenai looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, promise me that you will take care of yourself..."

Naruto saw from the look in Kurenai's eyes that there was another meaning 'underneath the underneath', so to speak. He knew this wasn't one of the times to use his laid back attitude, so he looked at her sincerely and nodded.

"I will, Kurenai-Chan."

Kurenai hugged Naruto to her, and much to his dismay, began crying. He'd **never** seen Kurenai cry before. Naruto put his arms around her to try and comfort her when she explained why she was crying.

"Naruto, when I was much younger, I had a boyfriend who would have done anything I asked him to. However, he went with his team to the Jounin Exams... And he never came back... I don't want the same thing to happen to you..."

Naruto now understood why Kurenai had been called the 'Ice Queen of Konoha'. She had kept her feelings suppressed to stop the possibility of the same thing happening again. Naruto wiped the tears away and pulled down his mask, leaning in to kiss her. Kurenai stiffened initially before relaxing and accepting the kiss. Naruto pulled back after little more than a minute and looked into her eyes.

"Kurenai-Chan, I **will** live, at the very least until I become Hokage. I'm not going to die on you. I promise... Just believe in me..."

Kurenai nodded and hugged Naruto to her tighter, hoping that this wouldn't be their last. Shikamaru and Chouji were coming out of their room when they spotted Naruto and Kurenai hugging each other. They knew Naruto had a crush on her, but they never expected to see this. Chouji whispered to his team mate.

"Shikamaru, since when were they this intimate?"

Shikamaru let out an exasperated sigh.

"How would I know such a troublesome thing?"

However, neither of them interrupted due to the very tense feeling coming from the pair. Whatever it was they had talked about, it was big. Both of them went back to their room to check their equipment again, leaving their friend and Sensei to sort things out. Not too long after, Naruto finally pulled away from Kurenai.

"Kurenai-Chan, I will come back."

Kurenai nodded and smiled, trying to cover up the emotions raging within her.

"Kurenai-Chan, why don't we make it into a bet?"

Kurenai looked at Naruto suspiciously.

"If I come back alive and as a Jounin... Would you go on a date with me?"

Kurenai smiled at Naruto's heavy blush.

"If you come back alive, I would have considered dating you."

Naruto looked startled at this, but it was clear she wasn't finished.

"But if you come back alive and as a Jounin, I will date you."

Naruto nodded slowly. This was more than enough motivation to win. He gave her one final hug before he pulled back. He went back to his bacon and eggs, which had lost a fair amount of their heat, but they were still edible. Both of them finished off their breakfasts and cleaned up before taking a shower and then getting changed. Once all four of them were ready, they grabbed their ninja gear and locked up. Kurenai asked Chouji and Shikamaru to get food enough for one day. Chouji and Shikamaru nodded and left to get the food while Naruto decided to go pay Gaara a visit to look at his seal.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**30 Minutes Later:**

Naruto had walked into the Kazekage Tower and had gotten up to the Kazekage's door when the ANBU stopped him.

"I'm sorry, but Kazekage-Sama is busy presently."

The door opened to reveal Gaara who gave an annoyed look at the ANBU and turned back to Naruto.

"I have been waiting for you, Naruto. Come in."

Naruto and Kurenai walked in and Gaara closed the door before turning to look at Naruto in a somewhat desperate fashion.

"Can you fix it?"

"I need to see it first."

Gaara nodded and took off his shirt before moulding some chakra. On his navel, a seal appeared. Naruto's eyes narrowed. It was a single three element seal. No where near powerful enough to hold a demon lord at bay. Naruto thought about the possibilities before he decided to give Gaara a choice.

"I can fix it. However, you have to make a choice on how you want it fixed."

Gaara looked at him questioningly so Naruto explained.

"The person who performed the sealing was a complete fool. I'm amazed you've fought Shukaku off for as long as you have. What you have is a three element seal. For a lesser demon, it would be sufficient, however, for a demon lord, it is nothing short of turning you into Shukaku in human form. I can perform two different seals. Each will have different effects. The first I can do is a second three element seal. This would most definitely stabilise the current seal, and you would be able to sleep without fear of being possessed. However, I can't guarantee you will get to keep all of your powers over Sand. The second option is I place a five element seal over it. If I do this, you would be completely rid of Shukaku's influence. On the other hand, it's unlikely you will ever be able to use chakra properly again with the seal on. Which do you want?"

Gaara thought about it.

"Is it possible to use another type of seal?"

Naruto shook his head.

"One of the basic rules of Fuuinjutsu is that you never place an odd numbered seal over an even one or vice versa unless you want to stop an opponent using chakra. A one element seal would be completely useless, as would a two element seal. Four is out of the question, leaving the option of three or five."

Gaara nodded as he came to his decision.

"Three element seal."

Naruto nodded and snapped his fingers, as the tips of three of them were surrounded in a red aura of chakra. Within each of the auras was a Kanji for a different element. The one on Naruto's thumb said 'fire', the one on his index finger said 'wind' and the one on his middle finger said 'water'. The red aura surged slightly as Naruto announced his jutsu.

"Sangyo Fuin!"

Naruto rushed his fingers towards Gaara's stomach just as Gaara's Suna no Tate tried to stop him; however, Naruto pushed through the sand and slammed it into Gaara's stomach. Gaara's eyes widened as he flew backwards and landed. The door slammed open to reveal the ANBU guard, who saw Kazekage on the ground and Naruto having just used some sort of jutsu on him. He unsheathed his katana and charged Naruto when he felt sand grab onto his feet.

"Don't you dare touch him."

The ANBU looked astonished as Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Long story. Don't worry, Gaara's fine."

The ANBU nodded and the sand let him go, apologising profusely before leaving the room. Gaara turned back to Naruto, a startled look on his face.

"I... I can't feel him..."

Naruto smiled.

"That's the way it should be. However, if you or anyone you care about is in serious danger, he will respond. The key to these types of seals for holding demons in is that the seal will allow a small percentage of the chakra to seep through the seal and mix with your own at all times. The seal you had only partially kept Shukaku restrained. The one you have now will keep him fully restrained unless you or one of your friends is in grave danger. In that case, he will provide you with quite a bit of his own chakra. Because if you die, so does he."

Naruto pulled out a small slip of paper with a seal on it which he gave to Gaara.

"If it ever gets out of hand, ask someone to touch this to your body. It's a seal called O Fuin. It will suppress any demonic chakra back into the seal."

Gaara nodded slowly as he took the seal and got up before putting his shirt back on.

"Thank you... Naruto..."

Naruto smiled.

"You're welcome."

Naruto and Kurenai stayed for a bit longer and chatted with Gaara until he was called to a meeting.

"Again, thank you Naruto. I apologise for cutting this meeting short."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"No problem, Gaara."

The three of them left the office where Gaara was escorted by two members of the council while Kurenai and Naruto left to go see how Chouji and Shikamaru had done with the shopping.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Night:**

As Naruto had expected, Chouji had gone slightly overboard with the shopping, despite Shikamaru's best efforts to stop him. Chouji smiled sheepishly as Naruto inspected the food.

"Chouji, we need to eat healthy food as well as chips..."

Shikamaru sighed.

"It was troublesome enough to get that."

Naruto smiled lazily as he helped the other two unpack the groceries, which were about half essentials and half snacks. They had just finished unpacking when there was a rather loud and desperate knocking at their door. Naruto shrugged and walked to the door, not before the person knocked again. Naruto opened it to see a rather scared looking Temari.

"What can I do for you, Temari?"

"What the hell did you do to Gaara?"

Naruto looked up at the ceiling as he did when he was deep in thought or remembering something.

"Well, his current three element seal was highly unstable, so I-"

"He's trying to go to sleep!"

Naruto smiled.

"Good for him."

Temari was about ready to smack Naruto.

"He's trying to **sleep**!"

Naruto nodded. Inwardly, he was thoroughly enjoying this.

"I heard you the first time. So, you came to tell me he's trying to go to sleep?"

Temari's hand was itching for her fan. How could he be so irritating and calm at a time like this?

"If he sleeps-"

"He'll have a good night's rest, I know."

Temari punched him back into the room where he collided with the kitchen bench.

"BAKA!"

Naruto got up and smiled.

"You still have quite the temper, Temari."

"You know if Gaara sleeps, Shukaku will come out?"

"Will it? I thought I did a pretty good job of fixing that."

Temari stopped her rant and thought about what Naruto had just said.

"You did what?"

"I fixed the seal. He can sleep all he wants."

Temari couldn't quite comprehend this.

"How can you just 'fix' a seal like that? No one in Suna could do anything about it!"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"That's because Suna doesn't have a Fuuinjutsu specialist."

Temari raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying you are a Seals Master?"

Naruto nodded and Temari smirked.

"If that had come from anyone else, I would have laughed at them. I'm still not sure if it will work though. Every time Gaara is just about to fall asleep, he wakes up instantly with a look of fear on his face."

Naruto smiled.

"Natural human reaction. His body has trained itself to do that to stop itself from falling under Shukaku's influence. Even with Shukaku suppressed, his body will unconsciously keep doing that for a while. He'll get over it eventually."

Temari nodded and smiled.

"Thanks for that, Naruto. You have no idea how much it means to us..."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Anything for a friend."

Temari waved as she closed the door and left the four Konoha Nin there, trying to pick up the pieces from Temari's rather explosive outburst.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

It was the first day of the Jounin Exams. Every competing team was required to show up in front of the Kazekage Tower as they were addressed by Gaara himself, who was reading off a sheet his speech writer had prepared for him. Naruto counted about 30 teams in total, all of whom were tense.

"Welcome Chuunins to the annual Jounin Selection Exams. There will be two parts to this exam. The first test will be a seek and retrieve mission. The second part will consist of a team tournament of the teams who passed the first test. All teams please report to the East Gate for the specifics of the first mission. I wish you all the best of luck."

Naruto smiled. Short and to the point. He turned with his team mates and Jounin Sensei to follow the other teams making their way towards the main entrance of Suna. When they got there, Temari was there with several examiners. Temari smiled at them.

"This will be the starting point for the first test. The time limit of the first test will be three weeks. Your target will be one of these-"

Temari held up what looked to be a large green and red scroll.

"And one of these."

Temari held up a yellow and blue scroll of the same size as the first one.

"You will start with neither of them in your possession. In a 200 square kilometre area behind me, you will have to find squads of Suna Jounins that will be located through out the area that will have one scroll with them. You will know when you have reached the edge of the field if you look closely enough. You are allowed to fight or trade other teams for the scrolls. Here are the conditions that will fail you. 1: If you do not return with both scrolls by the time this test is over, you will fail. 2: If you lose or bring an unrecoverable team mate back, even if you have both scrolls, you will fail. The test begins at 6 am tomorrow morning. Those who are late will be disqualified. Until then, dismissed."

The teams broke off and began discussing tactics. Both Naruto and Shikamaru realised that teams would probably form alliances to take on other teams with scrolls to ensure their own success. Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

"Think we should form an alliance with another team?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah. However, it would be troublesome. We are the only Konoha team here. The teams from other countries will most likely form alliances with teams they know. We'd have to approach another team blind."

Naruto nodded in agreement. The only problem was which team to approach. Naruto saw the Kumo Team through the crowd, having apparently reached the same conclusion they had. Naruto smiled.

"Should we try the Kumo Team?"

Chouji nodded.

"They don't seem like bad people."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Might as well…"

Naruto led his team up to the Kumo Team, who saw them and nodded in their direction.

"Naruto-San."

"Itachi-San."

Naruto led his team next to the Kumo team as they began walking back into the village.

"You've noticed it too, right?"

The Kumo captain nodded.

"Yeah. They're forming alliances."

Naruto nodded in agreement. Quite a number of people were sending wary sideways glances at the Kumo team next to Naruto's.

"They seem to be quite wary of you."

The Kumo captain smiled.

"We have a reputation back home."

Naruto smiled.

"As do we. Unfortunately, we're the only Konoha Team here."

The Kumo captain turned to Naruto and smiled.

"Are you asking for a temporary alliance despite the history between our villages?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Only if you want to."

The Kumo captain chuckled.

"Think you can keep up?"

Naruto smiled again.

"Do you?"

The Kumo captain laughed out loud, causing many nearby people to look at him suspiciously.

"It's been a while since another team didn't beg for something like this from us. We might as well introduce ourselves. To my right is Saito Kinsuke."

Kinsuke wore a black two piece ninja set with no other really noticeable pieces of clothing. His face was that of an experienced warrior. Impassive but wary. His hazel eyes did not leave them as he nodded to them. Itachi turned to his left.

"And on my left is Genji Satoshi."

Satoshi wore possibly the most noticeable clothing of the three, which consisted of black cargo pants and a sand coloured shirt underneath his Chuunin vest. He was fairly well muscled, but his clothing hid it well. His face was unremarkable, save for his emerald green eyes, which held an intensity not usually seen in Shinobi after a few years on the field.

"Nice to meet you."

Naruto smiled as he indicated Shikamaru.

"This is Nara Shikamaru."

With his other hand, Naruto indicated Chouji.

"And this is Akimichi Chouji."

They nodded at Chouji who smiled at them and they continued walking back into the village.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, 6 am:**

Team 8 and Team Kumo met in front of the gates 15 minutes before the start of the test. Temari smiled at them as she looked up from her watch.

"Begin the first test!"

Everyone shot forward, desperate to find a pair of scrolls. Itachi turned to Naruto.

"I want to get ahead of the pack. How fast can you guys go?"

Naruto smiled.

"Set a speed. We'll keep up."

The Kumo captain smiled.

"Let's double this."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei…"

Chouji smiled at Naruto.

"Should we take our weights off?"

Naruto nodded. At Naruto's insistence before he had left on his training trip with Jiraiya, Chouji had started using weights. Chouji formed a ram seal.

"Kai…"

The six of them shot forward, leaving the rest of the startled pack behind. Naruto focused chakra to his eyes as he began searching for the Suna squads. After half an hour, Naruto's Genjutsu sense went off and he whipped his head around.

"Found one."

The Kumo captain smiled.

"Not a bad Genjutsu for a Jounin, isn't it?"

Naruto smiled.

"No."

Naruto looked at the Jounin casting the Genjutsu and smiled before pointing a single finger lazily at them.

"Kai."

The Genjutsu unravelled, much to the dismay of the Jounins. Naruto smiled lazily at them before making a beckoning motion with his hand.

"Hand it over."

The Jounins' smirked as they disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto.

"You didn't even see us do that. You've got no chance."

Shikamaru smiled.

"Actually, you have no chance. Look around you."

The Jounins noticed that each of them had at least three explosive tags on their bodies. They looked at Shikamaru in surprise. The Kumo team smiled. These three from Konoha weren't chumps by any stretch of the imagination.

"When… How did you?"

Chouji chuckled.

"Good work, Shikamaru."

Chouji walked up to the Jounin who was carrying the scroll and removed it with no opposition. It was one of the Blue and Yellow ones. Shikamaru looked at them lazily.

"I'll leave the tags armed until we're a fair distance away to make sure you don't try anything troublesome."

The Jounins nodded as Team Konoha & Team Kumo turned to leave and after they were a fair distance away, Shikamaru diffused the notes and they continued the hunt.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Afternoon:**

The sun was beginning to set when Naruto decided to concentrate chakra to his nose and eyes to gain slightly increased senses. Naruto's head shot around to see a group of Suna Jounins not too far away. Itachi smirked.

"They wouldn't be standing out in the open without a reason."

Shikamaru nodded.

"It's likely they have some form of defence set up that we can't see from this distance."

Kinsuke, who seemed to be the main brains of the Kumo team agreed.

"They may have some form of seal trap to prevent others from getting to them."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Only one way to find out."

The teams changed course and sped towards the Jounins who Naruto could just make out were smiling. One of the Jounins formed some hand seals and announced his jutsu.

"Doton: Doryuuheki!"

The nin vomited a wave of mud around the group of Jounins which solidified into a giant roughly circular wall. Naruto smiled. This Doton jutsu wasn't all they had going for them. There seemed to be some sort of invisible Ninjutsu barrier that had just been erected around it. Naruto sighed. Barriers were troublesome, as Shikamaru would say to deal with. Itachi pulled out a kunai and hurled it at the wall, only to have it disintegrate on impact. No normal weapons were going to solve this, so they both pulled out their katanas, and took their stances.

Both boys concentrated as they announced their jutsus.

"Hitostu no Mai: Nami no Mai!"

"Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte!"

Naruto created twin chakra waves off his blade, while Itachi just pointed his at the wall and a bolt of lightning jumped from it, both attacks exploding on impact. When the sand and dust settled, the outer barrier was warping hideously. If the Jounin tried to keep it up now, he would most likely injure himself from the feedback that destroyed barrier jutsus gave. Sure enough, the barrier dropped, leaving just the wall of solidified mud. Naruto smiled as the wall collapsed, and much to the amusement of the two teams, the Suna Jounins were unconscious from nosebleeds. Itachi turned to Naruto.

"What exactly did you do?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Used a Genjutsu I invented to knock them unconscious."

Itachi could still detect faint traces usually found after a Genjutsu has been dispelled. What Genjutsu had caused the Jounins to faint from perverted thoughts, he didn't want to know. He walked up to find another Blue and Yellow scroll, which he picked up. Itachi walked back to the group with the scroll and noticed that the sun was about to set.

"We should set up camp."

Everyone agreed and they made their way about two kilometres from the Jounin group before they cast a wide area Genjutsu over themselves and the area around them and began unpacking. Naruto pulled out a scroll and palmed several seals to produce a tent, cooking gear and decent food. Itachi saw both his team mates were rather interested in what Naruto was doing. Naruto smiled at them.

"Sealing things in scrolls saves a lot of space and weight. That way, we only need to go with our ninja pouches and Chuunin Jackets and we have everything we can possibly need."

Naruto palmed another two seals to pull out six large bottles of water. He handed two to his team and three to the Kumo team, which they gratefully accepted, leaving one for him. The Kumo team looked at Naruto as he unscrewed the lid and did apparently nothing. The problem was, the water in the bottle was disappearing and Naruto was swallowing. Itachi laughed.

"That's some fast hand to mouth action you've got there."

Naruto smiled.

"I learnt from the best. My Niisan can eat a large bowl of ramen in under 3 seconds."

The Kumo Team did a retake of this.

"3 seconds?"

"No way…"

Chouji smiled.

"It's true. You have to see it to believe it."

Naruto pulled out some pre made packets of salad, cooked meat and other things.

"You guys setting up home here?"

All six of them laughed at the joke and Naruto pulled out some plates and dumped the food onto them and handed them out to everyone. The Kumo Team was glad now they'd paired up with the Konoha Team. This beat rations any day. After they had finished, Naruto pulled out another scroll that was slightly different than the rest. This one had no symbols in the main parts of the scrolls. Naruto bit his thumb and began sealing the used objects into the scroll. Itachi's eyes narrowed. That thumb wound was healing so quickly Naruto had to bite it after two or three sealings. There was only one type of person that could heal that fast without medical Ninjutsu. Itachi came over to Naruto and took a seat next to him.

"I never thought I'd see another Jinchuriki in this exam."

Naruto stopped what he was doing and looked at Itachi who smiled knowingly. Naruto nodded slowly.

"The only person who could have recognised what I was from biting my thumb is another one."

Itachi nodded.

"So, who's your 'inner demon'?"

Itachi sighed.

"Rokubi."

Naruto nodded.

"Kyuubi."

Itachi nodded.

"I'm guessing that's why you ware that mask."

Naruto shrugged.

"Partially. The markings of the Kyuubi only strengthen with age. I also wear it for another reason."

Naruto explained the first four years of his life. Itachi cringed at the mention of beatings in a way that made it obvious he knew about them from personal experience. After Naruto's story, Itachi told his. He had been the son of the Yondaime Raikage who died to seal Rokubi inside Itachi. People hated him as a child, and every time there was a lightning storm, the lightning seemed to strike him. At the time, he thought that even Kami hated him. However, he'd always lived through the lightning strikes, even felt slightly reenergised by them. On his fourth birthday, Itachi had overheard two people talking about a rumour that the Rokubi had been reborn as Itachi. The two people had no idea Itachi had been listening until he fled. For a number of years after that, Itachi had been cold and distant from the villagers. On his sixth birthday, Itachi had literally run into an old friend of his father who had nearly fainted when he saw Itachi. Apparently, all of his father's old friends had been told Itachi had not been able to handle the influx of demonic chakra and died, taking the Rokubi with him. Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"Seems that all of the Jinchurikis were the sons of the Yondaime Kage of their village…"

Itachi's head shot up at this.

"Are you…"

Naruto nodded.

"My real name isn't Uzumaki Naruto. It's Kazama Naruto. However, the Sandaime who was still alive when I was born changed my surname so I could live without constant assassination attempts from Iwa nins seeking revenge for their losses at the hands of my father. He never said I couldn't change it back when I was strong enough to protect myself. Also, the current Kazekage, Gaara, is the container for the Ichibi no Shukaku. I fought him in the finals of the Chuunin Exams in Konoha almost three years ago when we were both still Genin. He is the son of the Yondaime Kazekage. Before I beat him, he did nothing but kill people for fun. However, the person who sealed Shukaku did a shocking job. He couldn't sleep, or Shukaku would devour his humanity. I don't blame him for his mental instability… No sleep for 14 years…"

Itachi sighed. Jinchurikis didn't exactly have it easy considering that the only reason this world continued to exist was because of them. It was the first time Itachi could talk about his problems with someone who actually understood what it was like. Itachi turned to Naruto.

"Do you have a life goal?"

Naruto nodded.

"To become the Hokage and surpass all of the ones before me. I want people to recognise me for who I am and not as a demon. I want to show them that despite what they've done to me, I still want to protect them."

Itachi smiled widely.

"Seems we both have the same dream. People thought I was mad to dream of that."

Naruto sighed.

"Humans tend to be stupid. They don't understand that they should never stop a man from going for his dream."

Itachi nodded in agreement as they talked for a few more hours and then decided to turn in for the night.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Both teams woke up around the same time and had a short breakfast before quickly packed away their gear and dropping the Genjutsu. Both teams decided any way was as good as another until Itachi crossed his fingers in a very familiar seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto smiled and formed some of his own, one to every one of Itachi's clones and they sent them out to scout. After about 15 minutes, both Naruto's and Itachi's head snapped around to the direction they had sent one of their clone pairs.

"There's a Suna Jounin group about two kilometres from here, and they have a Red/Green scroll."

Itachi nodded in agreement as the two teams went off in that direction hoping to get there before another team did. When they got closer, they saw that there was a natural oasis here. It had a collection of large rocks that formed a small network of caves that the Suna Jounins were apparently taking refuge in. Naruto smiled and charged forward.

"Leave this to me."

Naruto jumped straight at the rocks and brought his katana in a diagonal sweeping strike against the rock. To the absolute shock of everyone present, the rocks split cleanly in half leaving the top half to slide down the diagonal cut, as if cut by a giant knife. Itachi's eyes widened in recognition.

"Wind manipulation…"

The Suna Jounins were cowering in fear as Naruto smiled lazily at them.

"Want to hand over the scroll? Or do I have to use this again?"

He indicated to his katana and the Jounins shook their heads rapidly and handed the scroll to him.

"Thanks for cooperating."

Naruto jumped down and smiled at his team and the Kumo team, who were trying their hardest to keep their mouths from falling to the ground. Naruto strapped the scroll to his back and turned to Itachi.

"Now we need one for your team."

Itachi nodded. A small part of his mind had thought Naruto would take the scroll and leave his team there while they went and passed the test. He was glad Naruto didn't. Naruto and Itachi looked in another direction as their Kage Bunshins dispelled, leaving them with the knowledge that the clones had gained since they were created. Itachi's eyebrows furrowed.

"That squad had a Yellow/Blue scroll…"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

"It might be smart to get it. It would mean that another team would not be able to pass so we have less competition in the finals."

Kinsuke nodded and added his own analysis.

"It would also give us a position to bargain with another team if they have a spare Red/Green scroll and needed a Blue/Yellow."

Everyone seemed to agree with that, so they set off to catch the Jounin squad.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**35 Minutes Later:**

The two teams put up a light Genjutsu around them as arrived to see that the Jounin group were talking about something. Whatever it was, it seemed fairly heated. They could all see the scroll strapped to one of the Jounins' backs. Shikamaru had an idea.

"Them seem to be too heated to realise we're here. We should probably do a Kawarimi with the scroll."

Chouji chucked at the memory.

"Just like in the Chuunin Exams…"

Shikamaru nodded and smirked as well. He would have loved to see the looks on that Suna team's face when they figured they'd been had. One of the pairs of clones sat down next to their creators, having just finished their scout.

"We couldn't find anything."

The real Itachi smiled.

"Doesn't matter."

The real Naruto nodded in agreement as he turned to his clone.

"I need you to do a 3 layered Henge for the scroll."

The clone nodded and slowly added the first layer, so as not to alert the Jounins. The clone added the second and third layers without incident and then Naruto picked up the clone scroll. Satoshi smiled.

"Allow me."

Itachi nodded in agreement.

"Satoshi was our year's Kawarimi specialist. He'll do it without problem."

Naruto nodded and handed the fake scroll to Satoshi who concentrated for a second and then handed the scroll back to Naruto.

"Done."

Naruto's, Shikamaru's and Chouji's eyes widened. They hadn't even seen that happen. But Naruto confirmed that the scroll on the Jounins' back was indeed his clone. The Suna Jounins were none the wiser as the teams left the Jounin group feeling a sense of smug satisfaction usually felt when a prank was well executed and you had not been caught. Both teams realised that if they wanted to trade, their current batch of Kage Bunshins would be useless, as they did not have the knowledge of any trade whatsoever. Both Naruto and Itachi had to wait until their clones reported back or dispelled themselves before they could do anything. Both teams took a seat in the warm sand as they waited for their clones to report in.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

The last of the clones had reported in. Only one pair of clones had reported seeing another group with a pair of Red/Green scrolls. Luckily, they lacked a Blue/Yellow scroll. It would be far too intimidating for all six of them to go to the group, as it would likely provoke a fight. Naruto and Itachi both created another clone each and sent it to the last place the previous clone pair had been before they dispelled themselves. After almost an hour waiting, the clone pair came back with a team from Iwa, who naturally appeared very nervous. Naruto smiled at them.

"We're not going to fight. What the clones said is true. We have a spare Blue/Yellow scroll."

The Iwa Nin who was obviously the captain nodded slowly. He had mid length blonde hair that covered one of his teal eyes.

"I suppose we can trade. It would mean all of us would pass."

Naruto nodded and pulled out their spare Blue/Yellow scroll. The Iwa Nin checked it to confirm it was indeed real and motioned for his female team mate to place their spare Red/Green scroll down for the six of them to inspect. They confirmed it was also real so they traded the scrolls. Naruto smiled at them.

"Thanks for that."

The Iwa Nin nodded as they all made their way back to the gates of Suna.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Sunset that Day:**

Temari was sitting looking out over the desert sunset when she saw nine figures approaching. Temari frowned. No one had ever finished this three week test in two days before. She called a guard over to her and pointed to the nine of them.

"Do they have a set of scrolls each?"

The guard looked through his binoculars and nodded.

"Each team has a Blue/Yellow and a Red/Green scroll, Temari-San."

Temari's eyes widened. However, when the teams came within visual range, she really wasn't surprised. The teams came up to Temari and she smiled at them.

"Seems you 9 have smashed the previous record by at least a day. Let me see the scrolls."

They nodded and handed over the scrolls for Temari to inspect. She opened them and saw the official Suna watermark on the scrolls as well as the 'official property of Suna' on each of them. She nodded and put the scrolls into two boxes next to her.

"Congratulations. You all pass."

The nine of them smiled as Temari pulled out three pieces of paper and handed one to each team.

"I'll need you all to go to the Kazekage Tower at the end of the three week period. The ANBU at the door will ask for those. Once you show them to him, follow his instructions on where to go from there."

The three teams nodded and they walked back into the village to rest and train for the finals.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** If you were wondering why I didn't update today, it's because I got a new game, one I've been waiting for nearly 10 years to come out. Which game? Raiden III. Great game, BTW. Translations for this chapter:

Iwa: Rock.

Sangyo Fuin: Three Element Seal

Hitotsu no Mai: Nami no Mai: Dance of the First: Dance of the Waves.

Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte: Thunderbolt Strike.

Well, until next time.

Ja na,

Specula.


	9. Jounin Exam Finals

**A/N:** Yo! Sorry I didn't update two days in a row. I was having fun ruling the Star Wars Galaxy. Have you felt the sense of satisfaction you get from sending three Super Star Destroyers into a system and being guaranteed a win with no losses, no matter the size of the Rebel Forces? It's very satisfying, to say the least. On that note, people, don't get the idea that because I update once a day for a while means it'll be that way until I stop writing. A few of you have sent PMs asking if I was alright. One person even said that they don't get time to play video games reading my fics. Trust me, its worse when you're on the other end of the 'deal' writing them. However, one person said in these exact words 'why the hell haven't you update two days in a row? Hurry up you $&$!' That last bit wasn't censored in the PM by the way. Want me to hurry up? Ok. Naruto becomes a Jounin, goes on a date with Kurenai, he says he loves her, she says she loves him, they marry, Naruto becomes Hokage and has kids who grow up and enter the Chuunin Exams and become Chuunin. There, happy now? Of corse not, so shut up and let me write at my own pace, teme. Sorry if that spoilt the story line for the others, but it was necessary. Once again, the idiotic minority spoil it for the majority.

Anyways, a few people are saying the Jounins from last chapter were too weak. Let me ask you something. If a Kage couldn't resist Sexy no Jutsu, what makes you think some Jounins could? Also, if you saw someone cleave a rock formation in half with a single sword swing, and then indicate he'd do it to you if you didn't cooperate, you're saying you'd laugh at him and attack him? That's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. If any of you who said that went to war, you'd be dead before your first day of deployment was over. If a 'sword' could do that to rock, take a guess what it'd do to flesh? Use common sense people.

A few old faces will make an appearance this chapter, such as Orochimaru and the three Rain Nins from the Chuunin Exams, the ones that were also in the anime filer. Naruto never 'met' them before, so he doesn't know them from a bar of soap. However, I'm making the Jounin Exams like the Olympics. All wars stop for the duration of the exam and no violence from anyone except the 'athletes' is permitted whatsoever, regardless of relations between the countries. Oh, and sorry if the first round matches and the semi finals seemed rushed, they're really not that important. We all know who's going to be in the finals, so I wanted to concentrate on that fight.

I just thought of something. Remember in one of the most recent manga issues Kakashi said a sub elemental type is something like a Bloodline Limit? If having a sub elemental type automatically made it a bloodline limit, then why can't Tsunade use Mokuton jutsus? She's the granddaughter of the Shodaime, so if lesser elements can only be used for Bloodline Limits, then that automatically means Tsunade can use Mokuton jutsus. Even when fighting Ororchimaru, she never used a single one. It's not even mentioned. Although it's not canon, the Snow Nins used mainly Hyoton, or Ice Jutsus without a Bloodline Limit. Since Kakashi was able to copy the Jutsus with his Sharingan that would automatically mean Hyoton Jutsus are not Bloodline Limits. Therefore, in all my stories from now on, sub elements are no longer only for people with Bloodline Limits until proven otherwise by the manga/anime. I think it's perfectly logical.

BTW, I'm going back over my old stories and editing the spelling errors, as well as writing new chapters.

Comments/Questions/Suggestions:

**Silver-Foxie:** The first name was intentional. However, his surname refers to his family Kenjutsu style, according to me.

**saiyan prince1:** Hmm… Well, how about right now? Hehe…

**Akira Strider:** I highly doubt that Naruto is the only Jinchuriki who can regenerate like that. I can't give you a definite yes/no answer, but I'd say it's about a 95 percent 'yes'

For those of you who didn't receive a personal answer, thanks for reviewing!

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Rubies & Sapphires:

Chapter Nine:

Jounin Exam Finals:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Nearly Three Weeks Later:**

The teams had trickled in with their pairs of scrolls and were signed off, allowing them to progress to the main event. At the end of the allotted three week period, all those who had passed reported to the Kazekage Tower with their admission slips. There were apparently only 8 teams who had passed the first test. The ANBU at the door checked their admission tickets and told them to wait in a specific room for instructions. After all the teams entered the room and lined up in their respective teams, all of the team's Jounin Senseis, as well as Temari, Kankuro and Gaara walked inside and shut the door behind them. Temari looked at each team and then had a quick word to Kankuro, who addressed the Chuunin.

"Congratulations on passing the first test. I'm not one for long and boring speeches, so I'll keep this short and to the point. Now that the first test has concluded, the second test can begin. However, not all of the guests have arrived. It should take another week for the last of them get here. Like in the Chuunin Exams, a lot of important people will be watching. Unlike the Chuunin Exams though, all five Kages will be present, as well as the Jounin Oyabun from the other countries with hidden villages. Anyway, the leaders of each team pick a number out of the box Temari is carrying to decide the match ups."

Temari walked to the Iwa Nin Taichou who was on the furthest left and he picked out a number. Temari moved to the Kumo Team, and they picked a number out. Next was an Oto Team. Naruto picked his team's number next. A Suna team captain picked his team's number, then a Kiri Team. Temari moved to the Ame Team and finally the Taki Team. Temari went back and stood next to Gaara. Kankuro looked slightly bored.

"Alright, read out your numbers, starting with the Iwa Team."

Iwa: 7

Kumo: 8

Oto: 2

Konoha: 1

Suna: 6

Mizu: 3

Ame: 5

Taki: 4

Kankuro nodded and he announced the match ups.

"Ok, the first round of the tournament bracket will look like this when I write it up:

Konoha VS Oto,

Kiri VS Taki,

Ame VS Suna,

Iwa VS Kumo.

You guys have one week to do what you want. One week from today at 10 am the tournament will be held in the Suna stadium. If you're late, you'll be disqualified. That's all that needs to be explained. Dismissed."

Kankuro turned to the door along with Temari and Gaara while the Jounin Senseis walked up to their students and together, they walked out of the Kazekage Tower and began training.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**End of the Week:**

Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kurenai were walking through the streets to the stadium which dominated the rest of Suna. The village was buzzing with activity and chatting in anticipation of the tournament. When they arrived at the stadium, the ANBU guard nodded at them.

"Team Konoha? Please go through and up the first set of stairs on the left to the participants' entrance."

They nodded and walked through the gates reserved for important people and contestants. Once they had arrived at the contestants' box, they saw that the other teams and their Jounin Senseis were already there apart from the Kumo team. After a few minutes of tense silence, the Kumo team and their Sensei arrived. In the arena, Kankuro looked at them.

"You lot, get down here."

The teams left their Senseis and walked down the stairs that led directly into the arena and stood behind Kankuro, acutely aware of the crowd cheering at them. Naruto looked up at the Kage box to see the five Kages, as well as the three Jounin Oyabuns each with one attendant, including to the shock of nearly everyone present, Orochimaru. Naruto wondered why he actually showed up here and then remembered that all Kages/Jounin Oyabuns were required to attend and the only 'violence' permitted was from the contestants when they fought each other. Anyone who broke that absolute law faced severe consequences, especially if a Village leader was the one who committed it. Naruto could see everyone up in the Kage box was extremely tense. Naruto could even see Jiraiya's fingers twitching, which he had learnt meant he was on the point of losing control of his patience. Gaara got up slowly and walked to the edge of the box.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for attending the 53rd Annual Jounin Exams in Sunagakure. We hope you enjoy the fine display of talent that will be displayed for you today. I now declare the finals of the Jounin Exams open."

There was a roar of approval from the crowd as Kankuro turned to the teams.

"Alright, these are the rules. Apart from if I decide to call the match, you can do whatever you want. Don't argue with me or I'll feed you to Karasu."

The Suna team shivered. Obviously, 'feeding' them to Karasu was to be avoided if at all possible. Kankuro looked at the Konoha Nin and then the Oto Nins.

"Team Konoha and Team Oto, you're up. The rest of you, go wait up with your Senseis."

The other six teams left the Konoha and Oto teams facing each other. The Oto team sized up the Konoha team and smiled. Easy pickings. However, the Konoha Nins were suppressing their chakra and knew that this Oto team, who was letting their chakra flow freely, were nothing to them. The Oto Taichou looked at Naruto.

"So, you're the one Sasuke-Sama fears? You don't look like much."

Naruto smiled inwardly as he let his chakra flare to half of its full amount for a few seconds and then suppressed it again. The Oto Team's eyes widened at this.

"Sasuke-_Sama_? Last time I fought him, I handed his ass to him using a simple Genjutsu and an exploding clone. The only reason he's still alive and not rotting in a cell in Konoha is because I was felt empathetic for his early life. I offered him the chance to come back, and then Orochimaru came to rescue his precious Uchiha, leaving me to take on the Snake Sannin one on one. I managed to survive for a while, and even took down Manda. Unfortunately, I received a rather nasty, almost fatal wound from the Kusanagi. It took me three days to recover from a pierced lung from the wound, but I lived."

The Oto Nins' eyes bulged. He'd defeated Manda **and** only taken three days to recover from an injury like that from that sword, let alone live to speak of it? Naruto looked at them with an 'I'm really bored, entertain me' kind of look.

"Talk's cheap. Show me what you've got."

Kankuro smirked.

"First match between Konoha and Oto; Hajime."

The crowd roared their approval as the Oto Nins were unsure of what to do. Shikamaru looked at them and formed a rat seal as his shadow extended to try and catch them, successfully catching the one closest to them.

"Kagemane no Jutsu… Seiko."

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!"

Chouji grew his left arm and brought it downwards in an arc, just missing another of the Oto Nins, but brought it around and slammed it into him in the same move. The Oto Nin was surprised, but managed to get off a Kawarimi no Jutsu to replace himself with the branch of a tree. He smiled until he felt Naruto behind him.

"Are all Oto Nins this bad?"

That was the last thing the Oto Nin heard as he felt a hand connect to the back of his neck and slumped to the ground in the blissful darkness that is unconsciousness. The last Oto Nin was charging Shikamaru with what looked to be some sort of miniature speaker. Naruto reappeared in front of Shikamaru and smiled as he formed a single hand seal and announced his jutsu.

"Magen: YomiSemuku: Juugai no Jutsu.

The Oto Nin froze and started quivering. After 10 seconds, he released the jutsu and the Oto Nin dropped to the ground screaming, completely unconscious before he hit the turf. The last standing Oto Nin looked at Naruto as if he was Shinigami coming to claim his soul.

"Wha… What did you do to him?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Genjutsu. I sent him to what he thought was the tenth level of hell for ten hours of torture at the hands of some very sadistic demons. He should be thankful I didn't send him to the twentieth level and face Shinigami himself. Now, your team mates are either vegetables, or are unconscious and you can't do anything. It's over."

Kankuro smiled and pointed to the three Konoha Nins.

"Shousha: Konoha."

The crowd went wild and Naruto got a particular sense of satisfaction from seeing Orochimaru's scowl sent in his direction. Shikamaru let the Kagemane go and the Oto Nin wobbled uneasily for a second from regaining control of his body. The medics came onto the field and recovered the two 'bodies' of the Oto Nins and checked over the last one before they left the field and Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji left the field and re-entered the contestants box with every other team rather wary of them. Kurenai smiled at them, or more especially Naruto shaking her head in disbelief.

"I know I never taught you that one. Good job."

Naruto smiled lazily and took his position next to his Sensei/crush. Shikamaru noticed the looks the others were giving them, especially Naruto.

"Mendokusei…"

Naruto turned to Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow.

"Everything's troublesome for you, isn't it Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru saw everyone staring at him and he sighed.

"You're not helping Naruto. Mendokusei…"

Kankuro looked up at the contestants.

"Kiri and Taki, you're up."

The two water using teams came down and looked at each other. Kankuro made sure both teams were ready and started the match.

"Second Match between Kiri and Taki; Hajime."

One of the Mizu Nins formed a set of hand seals and announced his jutsu.

"Suiton: Teppodama no Jutsu!'

The Nin shot balls of water out of his mouth with incredible speed, accuracy and power. Two of the Nins were hit in the chest and went with the force of the jutsu and back flipped to land in an upright position while the third one used a regular Shushin to disappear and reappear behind one of the Kiri Nins. The third Kiri Nin smiled and formed a single hand seal.

"Kiri Gakure no Jutsu."

Before the water could seep into the parched ground, it rose up into the air and thickened into a heavily chakra laden mist. The Taki Nins, who mainly using Suiton Jutsus were not impressed in the least. The better Ninja in the crowd focussed chakra to their eyes to help them see, but it had little effect. It seemed that this battle would not be for 'public' viewing. Clashes of kunai, grunts and howls of pain, along with the occasional announcement of a jutsu could be heard. After 10 minutes, the mist receded to reveal that both sides had taken severe damage. However, it seemed that the Taki Nins had taken more damage. Two Taki Nins were unconscious and the last was barely standing. The Kiri Nins had one on his knees, struggling to stay there while the other two were bleeding profusely and just standing. The last Taki Nin looked at his team mates and sighed.

"If this was a real life battle, this is where it would end. We forfeit."

Kankuro nodded and pointed to the Kiri Nins.

"Shousha, Kiri."

People clapped and cheered as the Kiri and Taki Nins were carted off to receive medical treatment. Kankuro looked back up at the contestant box.

"Ame and Suna, you're up."

The Ame and Suna Nins stepped into the field. The Ame Nin smirked through their breathing masks as they waited for the match to start. Kankuro looked at both teams from his one open eye and started the match.

"Third Match between Ame and Suna; Hajime."

The Suna Taichou formed about 10 hand seals and the copious amount of sand on the stadium floor grew into a giant tidal wave.

"Ryuusa Bakuryuu!"

The Ame Nins' eyes widened as the wave crested and came crashing down onto them and mercilessly pounded the stadium wall. After it had stopped, the Suna Nins checked carefully to see if their opponents were still alive, but could not find them. They looked at Kankuro expectantly just as a kunai flew along the ground and pierced the area just above the ankle of one of the Suna Nins. The Suna Nin cried out in pain as the others took their stance to see mass copies of the Ame Nins appear. The Suna Nins threw a kunai at one of them to test it, only to see the clone waver and dispel into a black ink like substance. The Suna Nins were too busy seeing what was in front of them to notice that the real Ame Nins were extending a hand from the ground behind them and only realised when they felt the kunai embedded in the backs of their legs. They dropped to the ground and grunted at the pain. The clones dispelled as the Ame Trio put a kunai to the necks of each of the Suna Nins and smiled.

"That was one powerful move. However, it gave us the opportunity to hide ourselves underground and use a mass Kasumi Jusha no Jutsu and distract you from where we would really attack. There is nothing you can do now."

Kankuro sighed and pointed to the Ame Nins.

"Shousha; Ame."

People cheered, but the majority of them were just politely clapping. They weren't too impressed that their own team was beaten so easily and they certainly weren't going to cheer for the victors. The Ame Nins smirked and pulled the kunai away before walking back up to the contestant box where their Jounin Sensei gave a nod in their direction. Kankuro looked up at the last two teams.

"Iwa and Kumo, get down here."

Both teams went down and faced off. The Kumo Team were very at ease, which put the Iwa team on edge. Kankuro saw they were both ready and started the match.

"Fourth Match between Iwa and Kumo; Hajime."

Itachi closed his eyes and much to the shock of everyone present, storm clouds materialised out of no where and began rumbling angrily. The fact that storm clouds were a rare commodity in the Wind Country in the first place was strange enough, but normally you could see those coming days away. The fact that these had appeared instantly made everyone feel on edge. Itachi looked at one of the Iwa Nins and glared.

"Hitotsu."

Everyone's eyes widened and then snapped shut as a bolt of lightning came down from the swirling clouds and directly struck the Iwa Nin Itachi had glared at. The boom of the thunder was deafening, and when it was over, everyone saw that the sand in a 10 metre radius around the Iwa Nin had been completely cauterised, making instant glass. The Iwa Nin slumped to the ground much to the horror of his team mates. Itachi turned to the next one.

"Futatsu."

Another lightning bolt struck true and created a mirror image of the first Nin, who was still gob smacked at the 'lucky' shot that had hit their team mate. The final one knew now that this had nothing to do with luck. He shook violently as he looked at Itachi in fear.

"What are you?"

Itachi had clearly had to deal with this a lot.

"I'm not a god, I'm not a demon. I'm just a guy who has an inhuman affinity for lightning. Now-"

The Iwa Nins eye's widened as Itachi glared at him and gave a knee jerk response.

"I forfeit!"

Kankuro nodded and sighed. That lightning had been damn loud. He'd only just been able to hear the Iwa Nin.

"Shousha; Kumo."

People were still trying to recover from the display of absolute mastery over lightning to even hear Kankuro. People were aware of Kankuro looking back up at the contestant box.

"Konoha and Ame, you're up."

Both teams stepped into the arena and looked at each other, trying to make the other buckle before starting. Neither side backed down so Kankuro started the match.

"First Semi Final between Konoha and Ame; Hajime."

All three of the Konoha Nins had noticed that the Ame Nins were not actually in front of them. They had substituted themselves with Mizu Bunshins at some point. These Mizu Bunshins seemed to be able to perform simple jutsus separately, or together, perform a moderately difficult jutsu which was a commendable feat. All three of them made the same hand seals.

"Ame no Jutsu…"

Rain Technique? True enough, the thunder clouds overhead had not entirely dissipated yet and they unloaded the rain on the arena. The clones seemed to use up the chakra holding them together to perform the jutsu and fell to the ground in a heap of water. However, from the short amount of rain, over 100 Mizu Bunshins formed. Shikamaru sighed.

"This is really troublesome…"

Naruto smiled and held his palm out.

"Raiton: Rensa Raikou."

A single bolt of lightning shot out of Naruto's hand and sprang at the nearest clone. It hit, electrocuted him, and passed onto the next one. This process repeated for all the clones in the space of less than half a second. Naruto let the jutsu go and smiled as the Bunshins exploded, the water still holding the last of the electrical charge from the jutsu. Naruto could feel chakra coming out from underground and attempting another Mizu Bunshin group. He let them and smiled at them.

"War of attrition, huh?"

The Ame Nins smirked and threw fake kunai at Naruto's team who were more intent on watching where the real ones came from. Naruto jumped to the back of the arena with Shikamaru and Chouji. Naruto smiled as he bit his thumb and formed the hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

They disappeared in a cloud of smoke and when it cleared, there was a rather large toad with a katana strapped to his back. He looked up at Naruto.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Naruto."

Naruto smiled lazily.

"2 and a half years. Let's start from where we left off."

The toad nodded and his cheeks swelled with oil while Naruto performed three hand seals. The toad spat the stream of oil out and Naruto announced his jutsu.

"Katon: Gamayu Endan!"

The stream of fire hit the oil and lit the stadium up in a ball of fire that made everyone wince and try to shield themselves from the insane amount of heat it generated. The toad stopped the oil and Naruto stoped the fire. The arena now sported a rather scorched look, as did the far wall. Naruto had been thankful he'd chosen the side with the contestant box closest to him, otherwise he might have fried the others. Shikamaru's eyes opened as he made the rat seal.

"Kage Nui no Jutsu!"

Shikamaru's shadow extended and divided into three parts which formed spear heads as they raced through the air and impaled a particular spot on the ground. Chouji smiled as he jumped off the toad and formed a hand seal.

"Chou Baika no Jutsu!"

Chouji grew and was soon standing over the stadium. He punched the ground, shattering it and ripping it asunder to reveal the Ame Nins with the shadowy tendrils hovering a few feet from each of their faces. Naruto smiled lazily at them.

"A war of attrition against a team that mainly specialises in sheer stamina and power is not a good idea. No matter how many times you recreated the Bunshins, you would have ended up using all of your chakra well before we did. The same jutsu won't work twice on us. Use them carefully or they'll be used against you."

Kankuro nodded and pointed to the three Konoha Nins.

"Shousha: Konoha."

The crowd went wild as Naruto thanked the toad and dismissed it. Shikamaru released the Kage Nui no Jutsu and Chouji returned to normal size. They left the arena and went back up to the box to wait for the finals. It seems that the Kiri Team had their wounds healed and given some solider and blood pills to replenish their blood and chakra supplies. Kankuro looked up at them.

"Kiri and Kumo, get down here."

Both teams walked down the stairs and faced each other. Kankuro looked at each team and nodded.

"Second Semi Finals between Kiri and Kumo; Hajime."

Both of Itachi's team mates disappeared as soon as the word was given and so did their Kiri counterparts, leaving the two captains there, goading the other to do something. There were clashes of steel through out the arena and still the captains stood there. Itachi smiled and drew his katana slowly while the Kiri Nin withdrew his kodachi. Itachi held his katana up in the air and chakra began surging up into the sword. However, the chakra looked, sounded and even felt like lightning, if the hairs on the back of the Kiri Taichou's neck had anything to say about it. The Kiri Nin charged forward and Itachi brought the katana down in a sweeping motion, letting some of the lightning chakra surge out of the sword and race across the ground leaving a trail in its' wake. The Kiri Nin smiled as he dodged with ease only too see the lightning turn around and head back at him. His eyes bulged. That shouldn't be possible! Itachi took this opportunity of the slight distraction and launched another one at the Kiri Nin, who again dodged. This one came back around and trailed after him as well. Itachi released two more and then flickered away to the other side of the field just before the Kiri Nin reached him. The Kiri Taichou now had his hands full dodging all four homing chakra attacks while Itachi looked at him in a rather amused manner. Kiri had the wost luck matching up with his team. They couldn't use any of their Suiton Jutsus, or the Kumo would just strike them with lightning and end up getting themselves fried. Itachi smiled as one of the Kiri Nins howled in pain and Itachi could feel one of his team mates using an unnamed Raiton Jutsu to fry his opponent who had obviously left an opening in his defence. Itachi smirked as he felt the other Kiri Nin behind him with a kunai in his hand aiming to plunge it into the back of Itachi's neck. The one who had just finished frying his opponent and flickered in between his captain and the Kiri Nin and smiled before giving him an electrically charged poke, which made the Kiri Nins' muscles contract involuntarily. Itachi turned around and gave the Kiri Nin an electrically charged palm to the chest, causing his heart to convulse just badly enough to render him unconscious, but kill him if he didn't receive medical treatment within 30 minutes. Itachi closed his eyes and lowered his head, forming a small smile.

"Arigato, Satoshi."

"No problems, Itachi."

Itachi looked to see that his chakra attacks were losing their power and he charged in their with his katana in a ready position and disappeared before reappearing behind the Kiri Nin who had just landed with the katana dangerously close to his neck. The Kirin Nin froze as Itachi let the waves of electrical chakra fly off in random directions and hit the walls, doing nothing but scorching them. Satoshi had already gone to help his team mate take care of the last one and Kinsuke chopped the back of his neck, making the Kirin Nin fall to the ground and start flailing around like he had no control over his body. Kinsuke smirked.

"No control, right? That jutsu confused your nervous system. You won't be moving normally for several hours."

Kankuro sighed. He'd suspected it'd be Konoha and Kumo in the finals.

"Shousha; Kumo."

The crowd cheered as Itachi looked up at Naruto.

"It's time, Naruto."

Itachi looked at Kankuro.

"No rules except listen to when you call the match right?"

Kankuro nodded slowly and Itachi turned to his team mates.

"Kinsuke, Satoshi. Both of you go back up to the box. Anyone else who is in this fight will be caught in the crossfire and die, whether they're an ally or not."

Naruto nodded in agreement. He turned to Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Same goes for you two. This is going to be big…"

Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei…"

Chouji smiled and patted Naruto on the back.

"Good luck, Naruto."

Naruto smiled lazily at Chouji.

"Thanks, Chouji."

Naruto looked at Kurenai in a very serious manner.

"I'm not going all out, but I'm going close to it. I will win."

Kurenai nodded slowly. She could tell Naruto had not meant the battle, he'd meant their bet. Kurenai would have given him a kiss if it weren't for all the others around. Instead, she just hugged him.

"Try not to destroy Suna by accident, ok?"

The other Jounin's eyes widened at this and Naruto smiled lazily.

"No one's going to die. Promise."

Kurenai nodded and released him and Naruto walked down to the stadium. Kankuro sighed. As soon as he announced this match, he was going back up to the Kage box. He'd heard of what both of these guys were capable of, and he frankly didn't want to be anywhere near them when they clashed.

"Finals between Konoha and Kumo; Hajime."

The crowd roared as Naruto smiled and jumped back while Kankuro reappeared up at the Kage box.

"If we go anywhere near all out, this city and possibly the country won't be anything but rubble. We need limiters."

The crowd went silent as they tried to comprehend this. Itachi sighed.

"You're right. 5 Gates?"

Naruto nodded.

"And three tails."

Itachi nodded. Everyone had understood the 5 gates limiter, but what was the three tails limiter? Up in the Kage box, Gaara smiled.

"Three tails… That's three times as much power as I can use at my best."

The Kages and Jounin Oyabuns looked at Gaara in shock. Everyone turned back to the arena as Naruto and Itachi began channelling their normal chakra. Stones lifted off the ground and the air began crackling with raw energy. To everyone else, it felt like the gravity of the air around them had increased two fold. Both Itachi and Naruto looked completely composed before they charged at each other, starting their jutsus.

"Raiton: Rairyu no Tatsumaki!"

"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

The dragon made of lightning and the dragon made of fire leapt forward and collided with each other, making a massive explosion of fire laced with lightning while they both drew their katanas and collided, sending sparks out. Both of them struggled against each other before separating. Naruto sheathed his katana as did Itachi and they began making hand seals.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

The ground underneath them turned into a thick red sludge while Itachi blew a massive gust of wind at Naruto who formed a half ram seal.

"Ninpou: Hari Jizou!"

Naruto's hair exploded out and surrounded him in a case of spikes just as the wind hit him. The wind didn't even ruffle his chakra laden hair and when the jutsu died down, Naruto released the jutsu to see Itachi about to release a bolt of thunder at him. Naruto pulled out a scroll and formed a few seals before slamming it into the ground.

"Ninpou Kuchiyose: Hiraishin Kunai no Fubiki!"

Itachi's eyes widened as the scroll exploded and the three pronged kunai flew in every direction, littering the arena with them. During his time with Jiraiya, Naruto had learnt to go to the kunai at will, as long as they had been 'thrown' sometime recently. He had also learnt that he could throw multiple ones and go between them at will. Naruto just dodged the lightning bolt and reappeared somewhere else in the arena in a stream of yellow light.

"That wouldn't happen to be the Hiraishin, would it?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it was. Itachi, let's stop with these academy jutsus and start getting serious."

Everyone's jaws hit the ground at the same time. Those Jutsus were **academy** jutsus? They seriously had to get their training where these guys went. Itachi laughed well naturedly.

"I was about to suggest that as well. Next five minutes pure Kenjutsu."

Both of them readied their katanas and charged each other. Their katanas met in a shower of sparks before they separated and came back, dancing around the arena in a breathtaking display of skill. Sparks soon turned to chakra infused light from the mixture of lightning and fire demonic chakra from the pure power put into each attack. After about 4 and a half minutes, they both forced abhorrent amounts of demonic chakra into their blades. Naruto and Itachi announced their Kenjutus.

"Tohitotsu no Mai: Tenbatsu no Mai!"

"Raiton Hijutsu: Raijin no Rihi!"

Naruto's sword flashed white and yellow as he charged forward while Itachi pointed his katana at Naruto. A lightning bolt the likes of which no one had ever seen up close roared down from the sky and slammed into the ground where Naruto was. Everyone covered their ears and eyes from the pain overload to the sensory perception only to open them again to see Naruto unleashing a savage combo on Itachi. Red chakra poured from the sword with every swing. Itachi only just managed to block them when Naruto jumped into the air and brought his sword down in what appeared to be an ultimate beheading slice. Itachi dodged the last blow and the ground under Naruto's sword caved in from the force, creating a 20 metre deep crater. Naruto jumped out of it just as Itachi brought his katana in a large sweeping strike, making the crater deeper. Naruto charged forward and aimed a low sweep at Itachi's legs, making him jump into the air to avoid it. Naruto smiled mentally as he pumped demonic chakra into his blade.

"Tofutatsu no Mai: Hiraishin no Mai!"

Naruto span the katana around and then pointed it at Itachi, before the sword was surrounded in smoke and eleven identical swords appeared, surrounding Itachi. Naruto had the seal usually reserved for the Hiraishin kunai carved onto the hilt of his katana, so it was mirrored on the clones. Naruto warped to the first one, grabbed it and flashed to the one opposite him, making a slice across Itachi's leg. Once he had the next sword, Naruto flashed to the right and grabbed the next one, making another sweep across Itachi's arm. Naruto continued to grab the swords and cut Itachi in numerous places before grabbing the final sword above him and aiming straight for the ground, making a deep gash in Itachi's midsection as he let go of the sword and landed, catching the real sword while the others fell around him and poofed out of existence. Itachi fell to the ground in an unceremonious heap and groaned as blood flowed freely from him. Kankuro came back down to the field and was about to check on Itachi when Naruto looked at him in a very annoyed manner.

"This is far from over."

Kankuro looked at Naruto in shock and felt Itachi's demonic chakra surge out of him, closing the wounds so fast the eye could see them and replenishing his lost blood. Itachi smiled as he stood. Itachi's demonic blue chakra finished healing him and he looked up at Naruto.

"Damn that hurt. You weren't even cutting deeply, were you?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"Nope."

Itachi sighed as both of them put their katanas away.

"Gates."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, as did Itachi. They were surrounded by demonic chakra infused wind. Both of them shuddered under the massive stress this was putting on their bodies as they opened the second gate. Their skin changed to an ochre red colour that all things of nature take on when they were subjected to extreme stress as a way of attempting to deal with itand they prepared to open the next gate.

"**THIRD GATE, LIFE GATE… KAI!"**

Their waves of demonic chakra were being so forcefully ejected from their bodies that everyone was having to shield their eyes from it. Their veins close to their skin strained against the skin from the massively increased rate of blood flow through out their systems. Both of them crouched down from the effort it was taking to open the next gate.

"**FOURTH GATE, THE WOUND GATE… KAI!"**

Both boys let out an inhumane howl as they charged each other, moving so fast they left a distinct whistling in the air and a massive trail of dust behind them. The met in the middle and aimed a savage combo at each other. They traded blows before disappearing and reappearing in the air, exchanging another lot of blows before disappearing and reappearing somewhere else and repeating the process. People in thr crowdhad long ago given up trying to watch the boys movment and instead settled forlooking at the massive number of impact craters made when they landed.Finally, the massive energy boost from the gates started wearing off as both boys' muscles ripped from the stress placed on them. They went for one 'final' attack. Itachi aimed a punch at Naruto who just dodged and punched Itachi towards the ground, before using the medical tape on his arm to catch him and pull him back for the final blow. Naruto slammed his fist and foot into Itachi and sent both of them plummeting to the ground.

"**URA RENGE!"**

The dust and debris from the impact flew out of the stadium like someone had set off a bomb. Everyone took cover and when they thought it had settled down,warily looked back from whatever cover they could find to see Itachi laying at an extremely unhealthy angle while Naruto was laying motionless on the ground. Naruto was only just conscious as he thought it was ironic that the only reason he'd gotten the 'last' move was because of relying on another's power instead of his own. Kankuro was about to go down again and announce the match when Gaara stopped him.

"They still have one more stage to fight with. The tails."

"But Gaara, Itachi's neck is broken and Naruto's muscles are ripped to shreds!"

Gaara looked at Kankuro evenly.

"Watch."

Kankuro nodded and sure enough, chakra began leaking out of both of them. However, this chakra was not normal. Their ripped muscles and broken bones healed almost instantly as they stood. Their features had changed. Naruto's eyes had turned blood red while Itachi's normally emerald eyes had turned electric blue. Both of their pupils had become slits while their hair had become unruly, their canines lengthened and their nails grew. The storm clouds overhead struck Itachi with multiple bolts of lightning while Naruto's chakra bubbled out of his stomach. Both of them screamed in pain as their respective auras overtook them. They lowered themselves onto all fours and snarled at each other. Their chakra armours grew a second tail and then finally a third as they literally flew at each other and exchanged blows that put the ones they used when they opened the gates to shame. However, unlike with the gates, the moves this time were completely different. When they attacked with the gates open, their moved had been very human. However, there was no telling their fighting styles now from a savage beasts'. Their chakra armours seemed to have a mind of their own, subtly changing their course from around the owners' hands to take a swipe at the other if they had missed. Every now and then, they would jump back and trade nameless bursts of chakra usually calledjutsus. Naruto would bring his hand down in a sweep and his chakra arm would extend and chase after Itachi, who would just look at Naruto and lightning would strike him. Naruto just threw this off like it was nothing and they both continued fighting. Needless to say, by now the arena was lucky to still be standing. Both of them looked at the other. Their chakra armours were exceeding the demonic regeneration rate. They had to finish this now.

"**We have to finish this or we'll die. One last move to decide everything."**

Itachi nodded in agreement and concentrated as his body began to crackle with electricity which concentrated into his palm. Naruto held out his right hand and a giant ball of Kyuubi chakra appeared on it and took the form of his most powerful close range jutsu.

"**Odama Rasengan."**

"**Dai Raikiri"**

Naruto smiled ferally. Having the demon whose powers over lightning were second only to Raidon-Sama, the god of lightning, he naturally would have heard of Kakashi's Raikiri and quickly figured it out for himself, especially with the help of the Rokubi's inhumane chakra control and lightning affinity. They flew at each other and smashed the jutsus together, making their aura's fly out from the meeting points of the jutsus. The chakras quickly entwined and formed a hideous purple colour which thickened before wrapping them in a ball of chakra that rippled constantly like the surface of a pond when small stones were dropped in at random points. The ball expanded almost to the size of the arena before the rippling stopped and the surface became perfectly smooth. The centre of the ball flashed white before an intricate pattern of white lines worked their way out from the centre and the whole ball turned white. The ball dissipated slowly and the two combatants fell to the floor. Both of them managed to raise their heads just enough to stare at the other. Naruto smiled weakly.

"I haven't had a good fight… Like that in over 2 years…"

Itachi smirked.

"I've never had a fight like that… You look pretty banged up there…"

Naruto smirked as well.

"Speak for yourself…"

Itachi sighed.

"Uzumaki Naruto… You'll go far…"

"So will you, Unryu Itachi…"

Itachi smiled weakly.

"Uzumaki Naruto… Good match…"

Naruto nodded in agreement and they both slumped to the ground, unconscious. Gaara nodded and Kankuro flickered down to the field and confirmed they were both unconscious. Kankuro looked at the state of the stadium.

'_This is going to take one hell of a lot to fix up…'_

Kankuro turned to the crowd.

"Both teams are unable to continue, meaning that the Jounin Exam Finals have ended in a draw."

No one said a word. They were still thinking that both boys were going to come back from death like before and start fighting again, however, they didn't. As soon as the match was declared, both Kurenai and the Kumo Jounin Sensei appeared next to their students and picked them up. Kankuro looked at them.

"The medics will take care of them."

Kurenai shook her head.

"They'll recover on their own by tomorrow."

Kurenai turned to the Kumo Jounin.

"It's been a while since I've seen Naruto so happy in a fight."

He nodded.

"Itachi hasn't taken any fights seriously until this one. Naruto is something else…"

Kurenai smiled.

"So is Itachi. It's amazing anyone can still be sane with a past like theirs."

The Kumo captain nodded in agreement as they flickered back up to their teams with their team captains. Kurenai was doing her best to hold in her tears of joy. Naruto had promised her he'd come back alive and as a Jounin. He'd completed the first part of the promise, and the result of the second part was only a matter of hours away.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Wootage! I loved the final fight scene! I put a small tribute to Final Fantasy Seven in here, because even to this day, I still love the game and play it every now and again. Also, I got my 100,000th word this chapter, making me the **only** authoron Fan Fiction or Media Miner to have aone hundred thousand word NaruxKure fic!Huzzah!

Translations:

Ame: Rain.

Taki: Falls.

Magen: YomiSemuku: Juugai no Jutsu: Demonic Illusion: Underworld Tourture: Level Twenty Teachnique.

Ryuusa Bakuryuu: Desert Avalanche

Hitotsu: First.

Futatsu: Second.

Raiton: Rensa Raikou: Chain Lightning.

Kage Nui no Jutsu: Shadow Sewing Technique.

Tohitotsu no Mai: Tenbatsu no Mai: Dance of the Eleventh: Dance of Heavenly Judgment.

Raiton Hijutsu: Raijin no Rihi: Lightning Type Secret Teqchnique: Wrath of Raijin.

Tofutatsu no Mai: Hiraishin no Mai: Dance of the Twelfth: Dance of the Hiraishin.

Dai Rakiri: Great Lightning Edge.

Oh, and btw, this is the final chapter for this part of the story. Next one will probably be called something like'Rubies & Sapphires Book 2' until I can think of a better name for it. Oh, and this is the last chapter for this book. The story continues in the next part; Book 2: Onyx & Citrine which is now up. Check my profile for it. If you have questions on this part, ask them in a review for the next book, or in a review for the last one if Book 2 is completed when you ask the question.

Ja na,

Specula.


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